The Enel Proposal
The sudden advertisement caught me off guard. It wasn't a game ad, but a brand deal? "Wait, I didn't mishear that, did I…?" I asked for confirmation again.
"You heard correctly. Enel, the luxury brand, has offered you an advertising contract."
Enel was one of the top-tier luxury brands overseas, as far as I knew. "But why me…?"
"They said your Jeju Island stream left quite an impression."
I had no idea what part of that broadcast could possibly be impressive. Their taste was certainly unique.
"So, will you accept the offer?"
"No, I don't think I'm suited for—"
"The proposed fee is…"
Ha-yul relayed the amount Enel had initially offered. "……"
She added that the fee could increase further depending on the outcome of the meeting. "What would you like to do? Should I turn them down?"
"…No. Accept it for now."
The sum was simply too large to refuse. After hanging up, I leaned my head against the wall for a moment, attempting some self-justification. Well, wearing clothes isn't exactly a big deal…
Putting on clothes itself posed no problem. But if the outfit required heavy exposure… Then no amount of money would make me agree! That was my final line of pride I refused to compromise.
After my manager arranged the meeting and several days passed, I found myself in a dilemma. "Why do I have so few clothes?!"
On the day of the meeting, no matter how much I rummaged through my closet, nothing suitable appeared. It wasn't a figure of speech—I genuinely had almost nothing. To begin with, I only owned ten sets of women's clothing. Ha-im watched me with a curious expression.
"What's going on? Do you have plans today?"
"Yeah, I'm meeting with the advertising company."
"You got an ad deal?"
"Mm-hmm."
If it were any other day, I would've just thrown something on and left. But the place I was heading to was Enel, a brand that dealt exclusively in luxury goods. I needed to dress as stylishly as possible without drawing attention.
I picked out whatever I liked and confidently showed it to Ha-im. "How is it? Not bad, right?"
It was a white blouse paired with a black skirt. Clean and unremarkable—that was the goal.
"Hmm, isn't the skirt a bit too long?"
"Really? I thought it was already pretty short."
"Well, for you, this is probably the boldest choice you could make."
I quickly checked the time. It was already one o'clock. I was going to be late at this rate. "I'm heading out!"
After leaving the house, I rushed to the subway station and spotted my manager, Choi Ha-yul, at the arranged location.
"Oh! Seong-a, you made it right on time."
"Huff…! Yeah. It's an important meeting, after all…"
Still catching my breath from running from the station, I bent over with my hands on my knees. I hadn't expected the training sessions with Su-ha to pay off here. If I hadn't done them, I definitely would've been late.
We boarded the subway and started making small talk. "How's the association work going?"
"It's great! The seniors there really like me!"
Ha-yul's abilities were perfectly suited for espionage, so she'd apparently stolen internal secrets from various corporations before. "What if you get caught?"
"Me? No way!"
Ha-yul transformed into several confident faces—child, man, elderly—regardless of gender or age. A sudden question crossed my mind.
"Just wondering… if you turn into a man, does that appear too?"
"It does! Want to touch it?"
Ha-yul shifted into a male form, stood up, and presented it toward me. Even if we're both guys, this is a bit… On top of that, the other passengers were staring at us strangely. Unable to bear the embarrassment, I quickly urged her to sit down.
"Just sit! People are watching!"
"Okay!"
At least her energetic reply was pleasant to hear. After Ha-yul returned to her seat, we continued our conversation.
"You said you lost your past memories, right?"
"Yes, I lost everything before I was hospitalized! I only know what kind of person I was based on the information the team leader gave me."
Who could have imagined that the very person responsible for erasing those memories was sitting right beside her? Despite her words, Ha-yul seemed full of energy.
"…Don't you want to recover your memories?"
"Hmm, I haven't really thought about it… Actually, I'm happy with how things are now."
"……?"
That wasn't the answer I'd expected. Just like how humanity's ancestors Adam and Eve had been tempted by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit, people usually felt curious about things they didn't know—especially lost memories. But there was no trace of that curiosity in Ha-yul's eyes. Did she truly have no attachment to her past?
When our eyes met, she smiled brightly. "You look surprised."
"…It's just that you're quite different from the people I'm used to."
"Hehe, is that so? I'm quite fond of my current life."
Ha-yul looked up at the ceiling. After being discharged from the hospital, she'd returned to her old home only to find the room in complete disarray, with bloodstains scattered throughout. Whose blood it was didn't matter. The only fact that remained was that something horrific had occurred in that space—something too terrible to even imagine.
"This life is heaven itself."
A stable civil servant's salary in exchange for losing her painful memories—it was a deal she couldn't refuse. "That's why I'm grateful to the demon lord."
"Demon lord?"
Where had that title come from? "Yes. In exchange for my memories, they gave me a new life. Only a demon lord could do something like that."
"……"
[This stop is OO Station. The doors on the right will open.]
The announcement echoed through the car. We needed to get off soon. I had to ask one last time. "…So you don't resent that demon lord?"
"Not at all! That person is basically my savior—they changed my entire life!"
Ha-yul beamed. Her expression showed no trace of resentment whatsoever. "……"
Thank goodness. "…Shall we get off now?"
"Yes!"
After exiting the station, we entered Enel's Korean headquarters and approached the reception desk. "Excuse me, we have an appointment with the marketing team today."
"May I have your name?"
"It's Lee Seong-a."
The receptionist immediately made a call, and within five minutes, a man arrived. "Huff…! I'm so sorry. I should've come down to meet you earlier…"
"Oh, no! It's fine…!"
I quickly waved my hands to reassure him. His tie was crooked, his shirt rumpled, and he was breathing heavily—clearly, he'd run all the way here. Why? If anything, I should've been the one rushing. I was just a streamer with a thousand viewers, while Enel was a luxury brand used by countless chaebols. Yet right now, it looked like I was the one making unreasonable demands.
The man turned his gaze to Ha-yul. "And this person beside you…?"
"Yes! I'm Seong-a's manager, Choi Ha-yul! Please contact me if you need anything in the future."
The man and Ha-yul exchanged business cards. "The team leader is waiting for you, so shall we go?"
"Ah, yes."
Once we boarded the elevator, I asked a question. "Is it really okay for me to model for Enel?"
"Of course. We've already discussed it with upper management, and everyone agreed."
Then why did everyone agree?! Using a streamer instead of a celebrity for a luxury brand's advertisement felt wrong from the start. "Don't worry! You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, Ha-yul clenched her fist and cheered me on—though she hadn't actually put any strength into it.
"We're here. You can go in."
The man and Ha-yul decided to wait outside the door. Creak. When I stepped into the meeting room, a middle-aged man was seated inside. Upon seeing me, he stood up from his chair.
"Welcome. I'm Park Ha-un, team leader of Enel's marketing department."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Seong-a."
After shaking hands, we sat down, and the team leader quickly got to the point. "Do you know why we chose you as our advertising model?"
"No."
How would I know that? The team leader smiled and explained their reasoning. "Our brand's motto is 'luxury.'"
"Luxury?"
"Yes. We believe that each of our garments has its own value and a fitting owner to match."
Every piece of clothing has its rightful owner—well, that was hard to argue against. It was a fact that different people suited different styles. "Now, here's the most important question. What do you think completes fashion?"
"Um… height?"
"Well, that's not entirely wrong, but it's not the correct answer either."
Then what was the answer? "The completion of fashion is the face."
"……"
The team leader's voice and gaze were more serious than ever. I never expected to hear something like "the completion of fashion is the face" from a luxury brand company. Still, my question remained. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know? Your face matches our brand's motto of luxury better than anyone else's. There isn't a single Korean celebrity who compares to you."
"Ah, I see…"
The team leader gave me a look that said, Are you serious? No, even if he said that, it didn't really sink in… "Discovering you was purely coincidental. We have a fan of yours working at our company."
"A fan of mine?"
A member of the Gojadan in a luxury brand company—that was unexpected. According to the team leader, the moment everyone saw my body, they all thought, This is it! For some reason, I felt a little embarrassed. "Plus, with your exceptional face and figure, this advertisement is bound to succeed!"
There was an unfounded confidence in the team leader's eyes. Somehow, I got the feeling that if it failed, it would be my fault. He then brought up my Jeju Island stream. "In your Jeju Island broadcast, you wore our brand's swimsuit and dress shirt. Do you often use our products in your daily life?"
"Haha, probably…?"
That was a lie. I didn't actually know anything about clothing brands. Ha-im, Rona, and Su-ha had dressed me in the swimsuit against my will, and the dress shirt was one I'd secretly borrowed from Manager Lee. Still, lying was essential for maintaining social relationships.
We were nearing the end of our discussion about the filming date and precautions. "Let's wrap up the meeting here. Is there anything else you need? Any situations you'd like to avoid?"
"Ah, yes! Um… do I have to wear revealing outfits? If so, I'd rather not…"
I scratched my cheek, and the team leader seemed to understand my meaning, chuckling lightly. "Haha, don't worry. Since we prioritize luxury, the exposure level is minimal."
I let out a sigh of relief. The viewers didn't know my face at all, and if there was no need for exposure, there was nothing to worry about. "By the way, here's the profile of the male model you'll be working with. Would you like to take a look?"
"A male model?"
When I showed interest, the team leader handed me the profile. "……"
I was at a loss for words from the very first page. The male model I'd be working with was none other than Rowan—the main vocalist of Monster Two and the idol with a face that screamed "99% chance of being a drug addict."