Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: High School Dropout Maid (1)
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【Joo-on Ha】
Suddenly, my phone rang. I picked up with a vague sense of annoyance, and Joo-on's greeting came through, sounding like she had her mouth full of something.
[Whatcha doin'?]
"About to order some food."
[Can I come over and hang?]
"Why bother? Don't come. It's a hassle."
Lately, even the landlord seemed to have completely washed their hands of the place, but honestly, it was just pure laziness about entertaining guests.
What was there even to do in a spot like this anyway?
It was obvious it'd just waste my precious downtime, so from my perspective, it wasn't all that appealing.
[You gave me advice last time, and this is how you treat me?]
"……."
[Get me chicken mayo for mine.]
What a sneaky guilt-trip tactic. But since it was a fact that I had nothing better to do, it felt awkward to flatly refuse her visit.
'Hmm.'
She's not the type to call out of the blue without a reason, not like me exactly.
I figured she probably had some hidden agenda she hadn't brought up yet.
And sure enough, Joo-on's arrival soon confirmed it.
"A festival?"
"Yeah. My department's running a cafe booth, so I was wondering if you could help out."
"Why? You want me to wait tables or something?"
Honestly, I'm no good at service jobs.
Knowing that and still asking meant her plan was probably to draw crowds with my transcendent cuteness, right?
"By the way, what kind of cafe?"
"A maid cafe."
"No way."
What era is this? Opening a maid cafe that's already been done to death?
"You think I'd do that?"
"Why not? You bought one yourself and wore it just fine."
Taking pictures to post on Clam is one thing; working in real-time in front of actual people is a whole different story.
I firmly turned her down, but Joo-on started trying to persuade me by throwing out various conditions.
"I can pay you up to 300,000 won a day."
"Still no."
"Then 500,000 won."
"I make plenty of money."
Ever since sealing the partnership with Full-time Farmer and monetizing Clam, my income had skyrocketed beyond comparison to my old gold-farming days.
More importantly, what kind of negotiation jumps from 300k as the limit straight to 500k?
As I shot her a sharp side-eye, Joo-on flashed a sly smile and finally revealed her real pitch.
"I figured you'd say no anyway. What I actually wanted to ask is this."
"...Promo model?"
"Yeah, just pose for some photos for the menu board or inside the booth. What do you think?"
Was this the staircase negotiation technique I'd heard about?
After hearing something ridiculous first, this request didn't seem so bad by comparison.
After a moment's thought, I accepted. Joo-on expressed her thanks with a quick nod, then jumped up and headed straight for my closet.
Screeech.
"Alright, time for today's wardrobe inspection."
"……."
"Whoa, you've got so much more stuff now...?"
As expected, she rummaged through my closet like it was her own, soon zeroing in on the seifuku and marine look I'd bought last time.
"You said you hated stockings, but now you wear anything?"
"...I bought them just in case. Haven't worn them yet."
"Come on, if you had zero interest, you wouldn't have bought them. You've already worn the maid outfit anyway."
She wasn't wrong, which left a weird, indescribable feeling swirling in my chest.
Joo-on pulled out the maid outfit and handed it to me, urging me to change.
"Quick, before you change your mind."
"Ugh."
"Want help getting dressed?"
"……."
If it were just Cha Se-ra, I probably wouldn't feel a thing.
But changing into a maid outfit in front of someone like a little sister from my orphanage days? It was mortifying.
'Hmm.'
I wonder what she thinks when she sees me in stuff like this.
Curious, I asked. Joo-on replied in a tone like I was overthinking it.
"Just cute and adorable? Your visuals are so good, no other thoughts cross my mind."
Fair enough. Thinking back to my sparse school days, I remembered girls in class forcing boys into drag for laughs.
Only the victim feels embarrassed; the onlookers might not think much of it.
"You might've looked surprisingly cute even as your usual self?"
"No way. Say something that makes sense."
I'm a proper Bucheon tough guy who worked out and kept in shape.
Me in a maid outfit? An utterly mismatched combo.
"What are you talking about? You're basically a cutesy pseudo-female shaking your tailfeathers on SNS these days."
"...Where'd you pick up a phrase like that?"
"From a comic I read last time?"
Huh.
I blanked out for a second, but in this era of every weird thing under the sun, it wasn't impossible.
"Okay, strike a pose. I'll take the shot."
Click!
Click, click!
I struck the requested poses, checked the results, and re-shot any with shaky focus or bad angles.
Cha Se-ra was pretty good at photography for a normie.
Or was Joo-on unusually inept for a girl in her prime?
"This pose doesn't work well..."
"Yeah? You think?"
"Better like this, more natural, right?"
I tweaked it myself and snapped the photo. It fit the intended spot way better.
"Whoa... It's second nature now, huh?"
"……."
"Maybe start calling you 'sis' instead of 'bro'? What do ya say?"
Halfway to pro, why not.
Her teasing grated on me, so I pouted. Joo-on pinched my cheeks like they were adorable, forcing me to whip my head away.
"Ooh, these came out great. The kids'll love 'em."
Unlike before, the shoot wrapped up in one go. Suspicious, I probed her.
"You weren't half-assing the previous ones, right?"
"Of course not. What do you take me for?"
"……."
Her instant reply screamed premeditated crime.
I gave her a look, and she chuckled awkwardly. We finished the rest without delay.
"Can I make a few into photo cards for the menu?"
"...Whatever."
She was an in-Seoul student who'd escaped the high-school-dropout fate—her ideas were on another level from the basics.
No extra hassle for me, so no reason to refuse.
"Do a heart, heart."
"...No."
"These days, they say you're heartless if you won't. Come on."
I made finger hearts, then cat-ear headband shots...
Halfway through, I got lazy and did whatever she asked. Joo-on left super satisfied with the results.
'Hmm.'
Seeing her blend into society so well felt oddly proud... and complicated.
She said to drop by the festival sometime, but I probably wouldn't. Crowded spots like that weren't my thing.
High School Dropout Middle Schooler
Dignity Innovated: New III << Heard it's well-reviewed, wanna do a 4-man party??
This one's good
┗ Mint Soboro Bread: Should I join?
┗ High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Just you and we're off (2/4)
┗ Yi-rin Thigh: Bought it yesterday too lmao join join join
┗ High School Dropout Middle Schooler: (3/4)
This was better—hanging out online with total strangers.
No responsibilities, no draining each other. How comfy is that?
Days blurred by with work and grinding a new game. Before I knew it, the festival Joo-on mentioned had rolled around.
Ding!
- Ji-an Choi: How's it going?
- Joo-on Ha: Huge hit
- Joo-on Ha: Total chaos
- Joo-on Ha: A million followers' halo is no joke
My Clam followers had broken 1.1 million—basically, one in every subway car.
At a college festival packed with young folks, tons would know me.
'Hmm.'
A quick scan of communities and Clam showed posts raving about the booth or flexing my photo cards, popping up left and right.
At this rate, top booth easy?
I chuckled at the idle thought, but reality hit fast.
Ding!
- Joo-on Ha: Whoa
- Joo-on Ha: It's insane...
- Joo-on Ha: (photo)
The next day.
On festival day two, Joo-on snapped a pic of the massive crowd. I stared in shock, letting out a hollow laugh.
"……."
Seems... my cuteness overload was turning these kids' festival into a grueling labor camp.
Hmm. What now?