Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Fitting Model - 1
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Eventually, Yerim never told me what had happened that night.
I subtly asked her several times, but each time she just gave an awkward smile and said it was nothing...
No matter how casually she said it with that perfectly innocent expression, I knew better, but I didn't press her. Everyone has a secret or two they don't want to share.
I figured she must have had some embarrassing nightmare she was too shy to tell me about. She'd open up eventually, once enough time had passed.
And just like that, two months flew by.
It was a short time, but plenty long enough for someone to go from having seven girlfriends to eight.
Does he even know how embarrassing that is? He tried to hide it until Seo Jinhyuk and I caught him. What an idiot.
I aimed for top grade on the finals, but sadly had to settle for second tier again this time.
...Second tier is still good. Second tier is still good.
Other than that, there weren't any big changes, but if I had to name one... it was the way people looked at us.
In school now, Yerim and I were basically an unofficial couple.
Neither of us hated the attention or denied it.
And the more that happened, the more anxious I got.
...It's time. For real this time.
A confession that I'd put off for so long it felt like I'd missed the perfect moment forever.
There was no backing out now.
Did I catch middle school syndrome or something...? Blabbering on about how someone more worthy of Yerim would come along or whatever...
Of course, those thoughts back then had all been genuine.
But the more my feelings for her grew every single day...
...the more I wanted to take things to the next level.
Why wouldn't I? I wanted to hold her hand, kiss her, try all sorts of things with Yerim.
As I spent my days happily agonizing over how to confess, summer vacation crept up on me before I knew it.
Was my head so full of confession plans? Looking back later, it must have started after that night.
Seo Jinhyuk, who used to nag me every day about when I was going to confess—insisting he'd only do it after me to keep the proper order—suddenly stopped bringing it up.
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"Fitting model?"
The first day of summer vacation.
Yerim asked if I had time today, and of course I said yes. I'd make time even if I didn't.
So after suffering through the blazing sun to reach our meeting spot, she hit me with this out-of-nowhere bombshell.
"Yeah, Mom's acquaintance asked for help, and I happened to want something too..."
"Want something?"
"...It's a secret."
...My birthday present? There were still nearly two months left, but it felt like that might be it.
She'd given me something expensive last year too, and the thought of her spending that much again made me a little nervous.
If it was from you, Yerim, I'd be happy even with a pair of bean sprout drums.
But I knew she'd shake her head no if I said that, so I kept it to myself.
"What about your allowance? All spent?"
"Mm, I've been saving up separately since last year..."
Saving money at our age...?
I resolved right then that I'd leave the finances to Yerim if we ever got married.
"The job... how does it work? Multiple times? Or just today?"
Yerim gazed at me steadily in response to my question.
"What would you prefer...?"
What kind of question was that.
Honestly? I'd prefer she didn't do it at all.
How do I even describe this feeling?
Possessiveness, greed, jealousy... pettiness. Whatever you call it, I didn't want to show off a dolled-up Yerim to anyone else.
Only me.
"...I'd prefer you didn't."
I said it straight, and her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into soft crescent moons.
"...Even today?"
"Yeah."
"Mm, sorry. I already promised to help today..."
She continued with a reassuring tone.
"I won't do it next time..."
That mix of aegyo in her eyes and voice, like she was begging me to let today's slide...
All the negative feelings I'd had melted away in an instant.
"...Promise?"
"Yeah, promise... If anything like this comes up again, I'll tell you first, Oppa..."
...Not a cat, but a fox?
She wasn't upset by my words—in fact, she seemed happy, picking just the responses I'd love most. I was mesmerized.
Or maybe I already was.
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So that's why she called me—turns out my role today was day manager.
She said it felt burdensome and worrying to go alone, but whatever. I didn't mind.
I wanted to see Yerim all dressed up for modeling up close, and it put my mind at ease knowing I was there.
We took a taxi and chatted in the back seat until we arrived not too far away.
Inside the building's photo studio, a stylish woman who looked to be in her thirties approached us in a space that was just the right size—neither too big nor too small.
"Yerim, you're here! It's been too long. Thanks for coming today. And this is...?"
"Hi, I'm... well, Yerim's close oppa... or something like that?"
"...Yeah, her close oppa."
Her glare stung...
After my fumbling answer, Yerim spoke up in a voice full of dissatisfaction, and the woman covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Oh my, oh my goodness. Close to Yerim? For real?"
"Yes, haha..."
"...Very close."
"That's right..."
"What an impressive friend~ Oh, sorry, where are my manners? I'm the owner of this mall. Call me boss, auntie, whatever's comfy. Sister works too."
"...Sure, auntie."
I went with a compromise since "sister" felt a bit much, and she clicked her tongue in mock disappointment.
Then she formed camera shapes with her hands, eyeing us from different angles.
"Anyway, no need to comment on Yerim, but you've got great visuals too, oppa~ Do you work out?"
"Ah, yeah. What's visuals?"
"Hmm~ Like, high praise? In modeling, we call it 'visuals.' Means you look like you're from another world."
Oh. Clicked instantly.
I nodded toward Yerim like I got it, and her face flushed red.
"Oh, look at these kids. Too bad. We're only shooting women's clothes today, no men's. Should've brought some over."
As if to prove it, only women were visible behind her in the studio.
Hmm, vibe check: passed.
"Student, if you're okay, maybe next time together..."
"...Auntie?"
"Ahaha, right, just today. Silly me~"
...Hold up. Just today?
Earlier she made it sound like she was skipping it because I didn't like it.
I shot her a what-the-hell look, and she whipped her head away in a panic.
But she couldn't hide those peeking ears of truth between her hair strands.
...You predicted exactly how I'd react, huh?
Feeling mischievous, I poked her soft side with my finger, and she flinched with a little "Hyat..."
Poke poke.
"Hng..."
Twitch twitch.
What the. Why's it so soft?
That addictive squishy feel had me poking twice more than planned before I knew it. We could've gone until one of us dropped dead if auntie weren't there.
"So lewd."
"No it's not..."
It totally was. She couldn't even protest while I poked.
But she averted her eyes, probably guilty about her earlier fib, and when I finally burst out laughing, she finally glanced back.
"These kids turn auntie invisible whenever they get a moment~?"
"Ah, sorry."
"Now I get why Yerim was so stubborn about it."
"Stubborn?"
"A-Auntie, wait..."
"She insists on showing her dressed-up self to one person first. This girl who never acted like that before threw such a fit~ Even said no way if it's a women's studio and hard, so I surrendered and told her to bring you."
...That's what it was?
Her words left us both beet red, heads down.
A quick glance showed Yerim's face so flushed it looked ready to explode, her deep pink eyes glistening like she was about to cry.
Auntie smiled in satisfaction at our reactions.
"...I-I wanna go home."
Yerim finally cracked from the embarrassment, declaring she was out and turning away. Auntie wailed apologies and offered 50% extra pay before we could calm things down.
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The shoot finally kicked off in earnest.
I'd taken the earlier fiasco lightly, but...
As soon as prep started, the lively yet cute props around the studio and the women bustling to fix Yerim's makeup and styling made the atmosphere hit home. It was fascinating.
"Wow, boss, this kid's really 14?"
"Time is cruel..."
"Not a time issue for you, is it?"
"Quiet, my skin was like this at age two."
"If you have to go back to two to compete, that's a whole different league, no?"
"Oh, look at those lashes. Boss, does she even need makeup? Natural might be prettier..."
"Hmm~ Just a little, nothing noticeable."
"Sure~ Her boyfriend's lucky. Pretty girlfriend getting even prettier."
"Ahaha, not her boyfriend yet..."
"Kyaa, hear that? 'Yet'~"
...Wow, energy vampires.
Just listening to all-women chatter drained me, and when they dragged me in and squealed, I felt exhausted without doing a thing.
I hid in the corner signaling talk without me please, and soon they wrapped prep and got busy again.
"...Oppa."
I turned at Yerim's voice from beside me. She was always pretty, but dolled up like this? Stunningly mature, hard to believe she was 14.
"You here to keep your promise?"
"...No mentioning that."
Bringing up the "first to show" promise from auntie earlier made her blush and lightly smack my shoulder.
I caught her hand on my shoulder amid that pleasant sting, smiling.
"You're too pretty. For real."
"...Yeah, thanks."
No fancy words needed.
Yerim would hear the sincerity in my voice right now.
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"Yerim, a bit more. Just a little smile~? Kimchi~"
We all thought it'd wrap quick with everyone eyeing Yerim like clean clock-out today, but an unexpected snag slowed things down.
The snag?
"Ki, kimchi..."
Yerim's inexperience with photoshoots.
She barely took selfies, let alone with others except me sometimes, so she struggled with expressions and poses.
"Hmm~ Still pretty, but a shame..."
"Sorry..."
"No no, Yerim! Why apologize? Everyone struggles at first, don't worry."
Auntie said it was fine, but Yerim still looked uneasy, her expression stiffening more.
...What to do? As I racked my brain for how to help her, our eyes met—her sky blue eyes like sapphires, silently pleading.
I couldn't just sit there.
"Um... auntie?"
"Oh, what's up? Need something?"
"No, just... can I sit over there?"
I pointed to a spot in her direct view but out of camera range.
Auntie got it instantly and gave the thumbs up.
"Heave-ho..."
Whoa, didn't notice from behind, but stepping into the shoot area? Intense pressure.
The blinding lights, lenses all trained one way...
She was here alone before.
Now we're two—we can share the load.
With that thought, I sat in front of her.
Yerim startled at first, then softened as I settled in.
Sky blue to pink. The obvious change everyone would recognize filled my eyes.
F
I
G
H
T
I
N
G
Mouthing cheers at her like that, her stiff smile vanished.
Replaced by a dazzling, shy one that drew gasps from everyone.
Click-
One shot was all it took to wrap the unexpectedly long shoot.