The Taste of Being a Model
The director scrolled quickly to review his A-cuts, but the candidates were nearly impossible to rank.
"She's good, isn't she?"
His real dilemma was deciding which shots to relegate to the B-cuts. If the stills came out like this, he could already imagine how the footage would look — and he couldn't wait to see it.
"Yeoreum! I'll send you the photos."
"Wow~. Thank you so much~."
So this was... the taste of being a model...?
I received the behind-the-scenes photos the staff had taken — the ones meant for my Youstagram uploads.
This was in the second contract too, you know.
Just as I'd predicted, bringing in Youstagram followers had paid off. I found myself wondering how much sweeter the terms would get once I hit a million followers. The thought alone made the corners of my mouth curl up.
I was happily munching on the snacks they'd laid out for us when the director came over, storyboard in hand.
"We're going to link a few simple movements together, nice and natural. A scene where you squeeze the treatment into your hand, then a shot where you look into the camera and glide it once across the lens. After that, you'll stand in the wind—"
It was a textbook sensory commercial — clean, polished scenes strung together to the rhythm of the music. I nodded.
"Then we'll take you first, Yeoreum."
Wait — shouldn't Ga-eul go first for something like this? She's the one with an agency. That way she could wrap up early and get going.
I glanced at Chu Ga-eul with a look that asked if she was okay with it.
"I told them I'd go after you."
Ga-eul nudged me toward the set as if to say, get moving already.
If you go first, that's a favor to me.
Whirrr—!
The camera glided along the black rails laid across the floor, framing Han Yeo-reum as she held the treatment in her hand. Clutching the purple tube, she fixed her gaze on the lens.
She really is something.
Chu Ga-eul stood at the back of the set, watching her. And it wasn't just Ga-eul. Every single member of the staff had their eyes locked on Han Yeo-reum, without exception.
A Second Glance (C)
Onscreen or off, what a star needs most is the public's gaze! In the flesh, in your photos, in your videos — even the mere sound of your voice — people will stop in their tracks and focus on you, one more time.
"The vibe is completely different, right?"
"Well, there's the difference in makeup. But she's definitely more striking in person than on screen."
Listening to the staff chatter, Ga-eul thought to herself:
That's not just the makeup talking.
Chu Ga-eul had sharp eyes. That was exactly why she could spot it at a glance.
That look in her eyes — how on earth does she do it?
Even with the exact same blank expression, her gaze changed depending on whether she was being Pi Chae-won or an ad model.
It wasn't simply a matter of expression. The details were different.
She's wearing the exact same face right now — but there's a fire in her eyes!
It was an infinitesimal difference. The amount of lift in her eyelids, the angle of her jaw. But Han Yeo-reum had an uncanny instinct for snatching up exactly those things.
Details like that — people on set notice, sure, but the ones watching the screen notice first.
Pure, overwhelming devotion. Ga-eul knew well the energy of the people who lived on that feeling — because those were the very people who moved this industry.
People who replayed the same scene over and over, analyzing it, and analyzing it again. Sooner or later, Han Yeo-reum was bound to catch their eyes.
...And I'm working hard at my lessons too, you know.
Ga-eul could say with confidence that she was learning more fiercely now than she ever had during her entrance-exam days. More than those nights she'd stayed up till dawn spitting out lines.
And if there was one more thing that had changed since then, it was that her future had taken concrete shape.
Next time, I'll be the lead. Not you, Han Yeo-reum.
She refused to be devoured by Han Yeo-reum again, the way she had been before. At the very least, she wanted to stand on equal ground.
The desire to be better kept swelling inside her.
Alright.
Ga-eul made up her mind in a way that, if Yeo-reum ever heard it, would earn nothing but an exasperated please, get out of Hina already.
I'll be your No. 1 fan.
...But Ga-eul didn't know. That being Yeo-reum's No. 1 fan meant lining up faaaar, far in the back of a very long queue.
Ae-ta-mi clapped both hands over her mouth in the office break room. This was an advertising agency near Gangnam-gu Office Station, and she had just fired the photos off to none other than Reporter Wi Jae-hwi.
Beep-beep-beep—.
The moment Wi Jae-hwi checked the photos, all hell broke loose. Ever since the finale of Parfait Cherry, the two of them had been unable to tear themselves away from Yeo-reum. And after watching her livestream, the exit had been sealed shut entirely.
"Ah, the handwriting~? I don't normally write like that. But I figured that scene would only be funny if I wrote that way, so I practiced it separately."
"What...? That one scene where she writes on the post-it... she practiced that separately?"
"That's just who the character is. I was sure Chae-won would never, ever write in soft, round little letters, given her personality."
"To this extent...? She's actually serious about the character."
But Ae-ta-mi felt like she was starving to death on crumbs that were far too scarce. Tears welled up at the thought that somehow, out of everyone, they had landed a fresh-out-of-nowhere rookie with not a single credit to her name.
Ever since Ae-ta-mi had made it her mission to promote Yeo-reum, she'd turned fandom into a full-time job. Posting glowing write-ups of Parfait Cherry on community boards wasn't enough — she'd even pitched Yeo-reum as the model for a newly launched brand.
It wasn't difficult. With the final episode of Parfait Cherry blowing past four million views, snagging Han Yeo-reum early meant you were the winner.
Soon enough, Ae-ta-mi would be able to "meet" Yeo-reum on the shelves of Olive0. The thought alone was bliss. No matter how hard she pressed her lips together, the grin wouldn't come down.
The reaction online was anything but ordinary. You could see the signs of a new wave rolling in to sweep out the old web dramas. Both of them could only pray that Yeo-reum would bring them her next project soon.
A supporting role in a drama would be fine, a supporting role in a movie would be even better — that means stage greetings! Or failing that, even a one-off single drama. Honestly, if she just showed up for a few seconds in anything, that alone would carry me for a month...
Ae-ta-mi bit down hard on her lip in the break room.
Somewhere along the way, likes had begun pouring onto Yeo-reum's feed the instant she uploaded a photo. The number of people with their eyes on her showed no sign of slowing down.
Dokgo Gyeol greeted Yeo-reum with a beaming smile as she pushed open the door.
As expected — Min's instincts have never once been wrong!
Dokgo Gyeol never slacked on her internet monitoring, and by now she had a firm grasp of just how much buzz Han Yeo-reum was generating. Her mainstream appeal was already monstrous.
Three separate trending videos in a single month. Where on earth did this one fall out of the sky from...?
Banknotes practically blazed in Dokgo Gyeol's eyes. Every hairstyle Yeo-reum wore, every makeup look, everything she ate, wore, and touched — she was certain it would all soon be wired straight to the masses.
"I'd like you to dye my hair today, please."
"Dye? Why? Your natural color is so gorgeous right now?"
"I have an audition coming up. It's only an extra role... but I figure if I show up matching the character, I've got a better shot at landing it."
"...What color? Hair this healthy — what a waste to dye it...."
Dokgo Gyeol sighed, running Yeo-reum's hair between her fingers, then tilted her head at the unexpected answer.
"Red tones?"
"I'm playing an influencer. Her big scene takes place in a club. It needs to read clearly even in the dark in there. I'm putting my faith in you and you alone, Director~"
Smiling as she laid out her request, Yeo-reum opened the script in her hand and began reading it again from the very first page. The concentration was frankly terrifying. Heaven knew when she'd received it, but the thing looked ancient — utterly worn through.
She's already done it all, hasn't she?
And this for a role she called a mere extra. She had dissected it viciously, cover to cover. It was no exaggeration to say that not a single square of empty space on the pages went unmarked — post-its plastered everywhere.
I don't even know exactly what the role is, but—
One thing was certain. An actress who fought that hard to understand a character — the audience was bound to see her.
Dokgo Gyeol fixed her gaze forward, checking the condition of Yeo-reum's scalp and the texture of her strands.
I really am... lucky, aren't I.
The timing couldn't be better — dye jobs of every description were in fashion these days. Two-tone cuts, ash tones, ombré — you could find them all without even trying.
"Attention-! Everyone. Write down this mixing ratio. You'll all be needing it yourselves one day."
Dokgo Gyeol measured out the dye to the exact proportions as she called out to her staff and senior stylists.
"This ratio, exactly as is?"
"Yep. Same color, exactly."
"Director, who did this hair? They're saying it's the next big trend?"
Dokgo Gyeol flashed a sly smile.
"That's right. It's a trend. Though heaven knows when...."
And then she gave a cryptic answer to no one in particular.
"Probably... right after the movie premieres?"
Yeo-reum's black, natural hair was transformed under Dokgo Gyeol's hands into something light and brilliantly bold. Exactly like a perfect Influencer 1.
"This stop is Chungmuro, Chungmuro. Passengers transferring to Line 4, please exit here."
Had a subway announcement ever rung out this loud? I tightened my grip on the script and stepped through the doors.
Finally — Chungmuro...!
Myeong Je-ha had offered me Director Gong's audition.
Me... possibly appearing in Faster Than the Law...
Back in the day, it was the film whose news greeted me every single time I switched on the TV. The film that had all but annexed the entire box office. The film whose sequel had casting articles circulating before production had even begun.
And into that film — Han Yeo-reum.
"Not that I've actually landed it yet!"
In front of the building, I drew a long, deep breath. The air of Chungmuro.
"Of course it's my spot!"
I seized the door handle with all my strength and pushed inside. And in that instant, I doubted my own eyes.
"...Huh?"