Influencer Debut (2)
“Whoa……”
The post I uploaded yesterday had exploded with comments overnight. The algorithm must have really picked it up, because new ones were still flooding in live.
“What are people saying?”
I scrolled through the comments slowly.
“Hmm.”
As expected from an SNS mostly used by popular types, the comment vibe was completely different from the galleries. Over there, people started with insults or self-deprecation, but here it was pure admiration.
Most of the comments were either praising my looks or saying the brand image had completely changed. In reality, Upten was what people called an ‘outcast’ brand. Its lack of any standout identity became its identity, which naturally made popular people avoid it.
“It’s actually comfortable and good quality, though.”
If this sponsorship helped Upten shed that image, I’d be happy about it.
“Hmm……?”
Separate from the comments, my DMs were flooded too. Messages asking if I was new to Instagram, how well the fit suited me, what I did for a living, whether I was a college student, if I had a girlfriend… there were even some from foreigners written in English.
“Ugh, there’s no way I can reply to all of these……”
If I replied, they’d just reply back, so it would never end. I decided to put responding to DMs on hold for now.
Right then, a call came in from Kim Jin-ah.
“Oh right, I had a missed call……”
I answered immediately.
“Hello.”
“Hojin! Did you see Instagram?”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“It’s an absolute hit! I knew trusting you with this was the right call!”
Her voice was full of excitement she couldn’t hide.
“The company’s getting flooded with inquiry calls right now! For the first day, this is incredible. At this rate, we might be able to cover our deficit by the end of the month!”
“Ah… was Upten running at a loss?”
“Ahem… Oh, never mind that! Anyway, it’s all thanks to you, Hojin! Thank you so much!”
“I just wore the clothes and took some pictures.”
“About that… would it be okay to ask you to model some additional products for us?”
Oh. I could practically hear the sound of money rolling in!
“If you’re offering, I’d be happy to accept.”
“Thank you! I’ll send the additional items by delivery then! Same size, right? Once they arrive, please take some fit pics and upload them just like yesterday~”
After a few more quick explanations, the call ended.
I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
“Being handsome really does make money come easy.”
At this point, my face was basically a money printer. Promoting brands I actually liked and getting paid for it? This kind of in-game purchase was impossible to resist.
“What should I spend it on next? Hehe.”
I smiled, lost in happy thoughts.
It wasn’t just Upten that was blowing up.
The convenience store where I worked was seeing a huge increase in customers too.
“Hello.”
When I entered the store at shift change, the previous worker, Park Ji-soo, was arguing with a customer.
“……I’m sorry, but that’s internal information, so I can’t tell you.”
“Aw, why not~!”
The customer was a female high school student in uniform.
“I’m just asking when that handsome oppa comes in~ Telling me his shift times isn’t that hard, is it?”
“The store manager told us to keep it confidential… for the staff’s safety.”
“Ugh… that’s so cheap…… Are you trying to keep him all to yourself? Right!?”
“Sigh……”
Park Ji-soo, who had been sighing, spotted me standing at the door.
“……He’s right there.”
“Ah!”
The girl’s face lit up as she came running over to me.
“Oppa, I’m your fan!”
“Hmm?”
“I like you! Please give me your number!”
She held out her phone. Behind her, Park Ji-soo was watching with narrowed eyes.
“Hmm……”
Without even needing to think about it, I patted her head and said,
“Come back when you’re a bit older.”
“What? I’m already grown up! I even prepared to become your girlfriend!”
“Let’s save that kind of preparation until after you graduate high school, okay?”
I somehow managed to coax and calm her down enough to send her on her way. Park Ji-soo let out a relieved breath.
“At least you don’t give your number to high schoolers. Guess you still have a conscience.”
“It’s a scary world out there. Better safe than sorry.”
“For someone who says that, you’ve been handing your number out to every female customer.”
“Yeah, I’m planning to cut back a bit now.”
I’d given it out too freely, and now my phone notifications never stopped. Even after giving it, ignoring replies felt wrong, so I ended up texting them, but if I added any more it would get impossible to handle.
“……Thanks to you, Hojin, our customer count has gone up noticeably. Word must have gotten around.”
She sighed like she was exhausted.
“The looks of disappointment from customers when they see me at the counter instead of you……”
“Ah, so that’s why she was asking when I’d be here.”
“……Just so you know, I didn’t tell anyone, okay? Don’t get mad at me if a lot of customers show up during your shift……”
“I know. I know you’re not that kind of person, Ji-soo.”
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. After a quick handover, the shift change was complete and Park Ji-soo left for the day.
“Take care.”
Left alone, I did some inventory organizing. About thirty minutes later, customers started pouring in.
“Wow, no matter how many times I see him, he’s seriously insanely handsome.”
“Why does he keep getting better looking?”
The usual middle school girls were busy whispering about my face like always, and
“……Here, have one of these!”
Some girls would finish paying for a 1+1 deal and then give me one for free.
The pile of gifts I received stacked up on one side of the counter. I didn’t even need to eat the stuff that was about to expire—this was more than enough.
Besides that, women asked if I was a celebrity, what I was doing after work, if I wanted to go for a walk together next time, and all sorts of other things. At this point, I couldn’t tell if this was a convenience store or a pickup bar.
“Whew……”
After dealing with the wave of customers, I finally had a quiet moment and sat down to rest. It was nice that women were being kind to me, but with so many more customers, the workload had gotten much heavier than before.
“At least the manager raised my hourly wage. That’s a relief……”
I was sipping the coffee a customer had given me while browsing the gallery when the door chimed.
A familiar woman walked in.
“Hojin, hi~”
“Oh, Suyeon.”
She waved and walked over to the counter, looking me up and down.
“Ooh, convenience store part-timer Lee Hojin? It suits you.”
“What brings you here?”
“I was passing by and thought I’d drop in. I was curious how you work.”
“There are so many customers now I barely have time to breathe.”
“Ahaha, I figured. Are they all coming to see you?”
“Seems like it.”
She grabbed two drinks and set them on the counter.
“That’ll be 3,800 won.”
“Here you go~”
Once the payment was done, she handed one to me.
“Drink this one.”
“Thanks.”
“When does your shift end?”
“Hmm… about an hour from now?”
“Can I wait until then? I want to buy you dinner after.”
“Why dinner?”
“I still haven’t properly thanked you for last time……”
Suyeon glanced around and lowered her voice so only I could hear.
“I can’t even tell you how grateful I am that you got rid of Senior Geon-woo for me last time. The others were thankful too. So at least let me treat you to a meal as thanks.”
“Hmm… if that’s the case, then sure……”
If I could get a free meal, there was no reason to refuse. She kept me company and waited until my shift was over.
After handing over to the next worker, I took off my vest and left the store.
“Is that a new outfit?”
She pointed at what I was wearing.
“Hmm? Oh, this? It’s from a sponsorship.”
“Whoa, really? You’re already an influencer? I’m jealous~”
“By the way, where are we going?”
“Where should we go? Anything you want to eat? You can choose.”
“Pork cutlet, spicy stir-fried pork, and soup with rice.”
“Uh……?”
“For a guy, those three are the standard.”
Pasta? I’d rather just eat ramen. Salad? That wouldn’t even register. Mala hotpot? Too much hassle having to pick all the ingredients myself. Only those three offered the overwhelming fullness and convenience a man needed.
“Uh… okay, I see. So which of those do you want?”
“Hmm……”
I opened a dice app on my phone and rolled. A four came up.
“……Let’s go with spicy stir-fried pork today.”
“You decide in such an interesting way……”
We headed to the nearby bustling area and found a suitable restaurant to order the pork.
Once the food came out and we’d eaten most of it, Suyeon wiped her mouth and asked,
“Now that I think about it, you don’t do any club activities?”
“Clubs, huh……”
It was an activity far removed from being an outcast, so I’d never even considered it until now.
“I don’t have any yet. What about you?”
“I joined the campus press club. I thought it would help with my major!”
It probably would be useful for her, since she was in advertising and promotion.
“You’re in visual design, right? Why don’t you look for something related? I bet anywhere would welcome you with open arms.”
“Hmm……”
It wasn’t a bad idea, but joining a club would cut into my personal time and gaming time.
“……I’ll think about it.”
After we finished eating, we left the restaurant and walked around the lively streets for a bit. As expected for a weekend evening, the area was packed with people.
“Wow… look at that guy.”
“No way. Is he a celebrity?”
People passing by kept stealing glances at me. I was slowly getting used to it.
“Wow, everyone’s staring at you.”
Suyeon marveled, then awkwardly adjusted her clothes.
In between, a few women came up to ask for my number, but I turned them down. If I handed out any more, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Suyeon, who had been watching, asked,
“Huh, that girl who just came up was really pretty… Do you usually not give your number out much?”
“I’ve been getting too many messages, so I decided to take a short break.”
“Wow, must be nice~ Having so many girls contacting you!”
She turned her head away with a slightly pouty tone. Come to think of it, even though we were just friends, it was pretty bold for girls to ask for my number while I was clearly walking with another girl. What would they have done if we were a couple……
“Hmm?”
Then Suyeon pointed ahead.
“What’s that? Are they filming a YouTube video or something?”
Where she was pointing, a cameraman and a woman holding a microphone were standing. From the equipment, it looked like a pretty serious production.
“……Ah!”
The woman with the microphone spotted me, her eyes widening as she hurried over.
“Hello! We’re a channel that finds charming people on the street and interviews them. Excuse me, sir—would you have time for a quick interview?”