Co-Starring with the Prophet
It had been a few days since the field trip when I returned to Enel. Today was the day of the advertisement shoot. First, I sat down for makeup in the waiting room. The artists kept gasping at my face.
“Wow! I’ve never seen skin this perfect!”
“Really?”
“What skincare do you usually use?”
“Skincare? I don’t really use any…”
The moment I mentioned never wearing makeup, their eyes flew wide open.
“Seriously?! You’ve never put on makeup even once?!”
“Nope.”
I nodded indifferently. Why were they so shocked? I never learned how in the first place, and the whole process felt like too much hassle.
“But… you at least wear sunscreen, right…?”
“Just a light layer in summer…”
“You need sunscreen in winter too!”
The artist declared that a woman skipping makeup was the same as a soldier heading to war without a rifle. I didn’t pay much attention. Because…
“I’m pretty even without it.”
“…….”
She froze with a blank stare, then let out a long sigh.
“Sigh… I can’t even argue with that.”
“Right?”
According to the makeup artist’s professional opinion, since I looked good bare-faced, I had no plans to start wearing it. “But once we do your makeup, you’ll look even more beautiful!”
“Even more than now?”
Was that even possible?
“Yes! You’re already celebrity-level pretty. With full makeup you’d be on another plane entirely. Definitely prettier than any idol…!”
“Come on, isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”
I could admit I was attractive, but celebrity level? These people made their living with their faces.
“I’m dead serious! I’m staking twenty years in the entertainment industry on this!”
Flames practically sparked in her eyes.
“Today, Miss Sung-a, you are the main character!”
Yeah, I’ll just keep my mouth shut…
It felt rude to interrupt when an artist’s soul was burning this brightly. The session ended quickly, and I moved to the shooting set.
“Hello. I’m Lee Sung-a, the model for this campaign!”
I greeted the director first—the absolute boss on set. The team leader had told me the man was a thirty-year veteran, a true senior in the industry.
“Oh, I’ve never seen anyone this beautiful!”
“Haha, thank you.”
“Shall we jump straight into filming?”
“Yes.”
The shoot itself was simple. I just followed Enel’s vision, delivering luxurious shots and striking whatever poses they asked for. After we wrapped, the director and I reviewed the photos together. He flipped through them again and again, then dropped his head with a heavy sigh.
“Ha… This is quite the problem.”
“Sorry? Why?”
A director with thirty years of experience sighing? I suddenly felt nervous. Did my face just not photograph well?
“They all came out too perfectly. This has never happened before…”
“…….”
Of course that was it. I let out a breath of relief and walked over to the team leader, who was leaning against the wall. The dark circles under his eyes were so bad I almost laughed, but I held it in.
“Must be tough.”
“Did you predict this would happen?”
“No way. I was just joking.”
He shot me a suspicious glare, but since I denied it, there was nothing he could do.
“So did you find a new male model?”
“Yes. We got someone much better than the last one.”
“Better than him?”
I was genuinely surprised. Even if Kim Lona had been involved with drugs, he was still a top-tier idol in Korea. Finding someone better seemed impossible.
“Who is it?”
“You know the Prophet from America, right?”
“……!”
The Prophet?
“We got lucky. He almost never appears on TV, but he accepted right away.”
The team leader said they’d sent the email without much hope, yet he’d agreed. It was the kind of luck you only heard about in stories. But any luck that arrived without a price tag immediately felt suspicious.
Seong-a rested her chin in her hand.
This feels off…
Lately it seemed like our paths kept crossing. Only a few days had passed since that last incident, and now he’d accepted the same advertisement. Could this really be coincidence?
“…Hm. I understand. I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, safe travels.”
I left the set behind.
I need to look into that bastard properly.
At first I’d thought he was just selling information for money, but the threads seemed far more tangled than that.
After leaving the studio I glanced around. Now that I was outside, going straight home felt like a waste.
“Maybe I’ll stop by the university district.”
Ha-im’s S University was nearby. It wouldn’t hurt to check how she was handling campus life. Decision made, I turned my steps toward the university.
Hm. Something feels strange…
On the way, every person’s gaze locked onto me. Some even turned fully around. Of course people had stared before, but this felt different. The biggest change was that previously a few had asked for my number. Now no one even tried.
While I was wondering about it, the sharp sound of a slap rang out from the sidewalk.
Slap!
I looked over. It was just a normal digital billboard advertising a drama.
I feel a little bad now…
It reminded me of the time I’d slapped someone in anger. I’d done it to snap them out of it, but from a third-person view it really did look painful.
“Maybe I should buy a gift.”
It seemed like a good chance to apologize. Looking around, I spotted a nice perfume shop. The clear chime of a bell and luxurious interior greeted me as I stepped inside.
“Welcome. What are you looking for today?”
A young woman approached with the textbook customer-service smile. It felt a bit overwhelming.
“Um, I’m looking for a perfume for my little sister…”
“Your sister? How old is she?”
“Twenty-two.”
The clerk immediately pulled a bottle from the display and showed it to me.
“How about this? It’s very popular with young women.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll take that one.”
I didn’t know much about fragrances, so I went with the recommendation. The price was a little high, but with my monthly ten-million-won allowance it wasn’t a problem.
After leaving the shop I walked another five minutes and reached the university. True to its reputation as Korea’s best, the campus grounds were enormous. Since I hadn’t been to a university in a long time, I strolled around, taking in the scenery. Strangely, even though people stared, no one actually spoke to me. For me, that was much more comfortable. I could simply ignore them cleanly.
While admiring the landscape I arrived at the academic building.
“She should be around here somewhere…”
I looked around and spotted a woman in the distance accompanied by several large men. Must be the campus queen bee—
“Sister!”
The voice belonged to Su-ha. But something was off. She was the only one who looked fine; the male students were bent over with hands on their knees, gasping for air.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was working out with the seniors!”
Su-ha introduced the exhausted guys. They were from the Physical Education Guidance Department, Sports and Leisure Studies, Taekwondo major—all athletic departments. Just what kind of workout had they done?
“Su-Su-ha? Maybe we should stop here…”
“Come on, how can business majors have worse stamina than me? Next up, Han River swimming!”
The male students’ faces crumpled at her words.
“Sister, want to come swim in the Han River too…? Huh?”
She’d tried to invite me, but when she turned around I was already gone.
After escaping Su-ha I leaned against a wall, panting hard.
“Huff…! That was too close…”
Good thing I ran fast. Otherwise I really would have ended up swimming in the Han River.
This place smells like coffee…
When I lifted my head, the rich aroma tickled my nose. After running blindly I’d apparently fled straight into a café. In the corner I spotted Ha-im wearing glasses, quietly reading a book.
I set the shopping bag on her table. At the sound, her eyes met mine.
“What? When did you get here?”
“Just now. Surprising. You actually study.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what you think it means.”
We exchanged light banter while I took a sip of the coffee she’d ordered. The moment it touched my tongue my face twisted.
“Ugh! What is this? It’s way too bitter.”
“It’s espresso.”
“You’re still young. Why are you drinking espresso?”
“That’s rich coming from you. There’s only a two-year difference between us.”
“…….”
When age came up I had nothing to say. If she knew my real age she’d faint… Ha-im’s gaze shifted to the shopping bag on the desk.
“And what’s that?”
“You sure took your time asking.”
No sense of timing at all.
“A gift. I felt bad about slapping you last time.”
“A gift? You felt bad? I didn’t know you had those kinds of feelings—Ow! That hurts!”
She was so annoying I grabbed her cheek and yanked it upward. Just who taught her to speak so rudely? After pulling it as high as I could, I let go. She rubbed the sore spot.
“Ugh…! Just leave already!”
“No.”
Being told to leave made me want to stay even more. I sat down in the chair and waited until she finished studying. Ha-im frowned but eventually picked up her pen again and focused.
“By the way, why the makeup today?”
“Had an ad shoot.”
“Planning to keep doing it?”
“People only stare and don’t talk to me, so it’s convenient, but it’s still annoying.”
Seong-a didn’t understand why no one approached her anymore, but Ha-im figured it out instantly.
She looks insanely cold…
Her face had always leaned sharp, but with makeup it reached a level where normal people couldn’t even bring themselves to speak. The kind of beauty that made you want to talk but also convinced you you’d get shot down instantly. Ha-im wondered what brand the commercial was for to require this level of makeup.
Ding~!
The moment the door opened, I felt a familiar gaze on my back.
“Sister!”
“……!”
A chill shot down my spine. Trembling, I turned to see Su-ha beaming with joy.
“Sister, I’ve been looking everywhere! Let’s go swim in the Han River together!”
She still hadn’t given up. I quickly looked away.
“Haha… I’m a bit busy right now…”
How was a business major supposed to shake off this workout-crazed girl? I shot Ha-im a desperate look. Do something!
Ha-im sighed at my silent plea. She had no idea how this would end. After thinking for a moment, the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward. She’d come up with something fun.
“Sorry, I can’t right now. My sister came to tour the university because she’s thinking about enrolling.”