#78. Self-Sufficient
#78. Self-Sufficient
"...Can we move on to the next one?"
Han Na-eun, you idiot.
Total moron.
I should've thought through the settings a bit more delicately, but as a reader who just grins like an idiot reading your stuff as usual, I couldn't give any response to Oppa's sudden question.
"Ah... At this rate, are we even working together?"
Oppa stood up from his seat, puffing out his chest with a dissatisfied look on his face.
"No. Just hear me out to the end first. There are still two more characters left, you know."
From Oppa's reaction, my presentation seemed like a total flop, but hoping he'd at least look at the drawings, I tried to get him to sit back down.
Han Gyeo-ul writer-nim approached right next to me.
I stubbornly moved on to the next slide.
"The next character I came up with is a maid... Eek!"
Oppa's big hand grabbed my ass hard.
"Keep going."
"...Can't we do this after everything's done?"
I seriously dropped my design blueprints to prepare for this, you know.
Even today's professor asked if something happened at home.
Meaning my workload was pathetically shitty to the point where the professor was dumbfounded.
But I had no choice.
Han Gyeo-ul writer-nim asked me to plan characters together—how could I half-ass it?
If even one character he likes actually gets reflected in [Imprisoning Her]...
Fan service heaven.
A successful otaku.
I'd probably throw a solo party at home that day to celebrate.
"The next one is... a maid, hng..."
Ah. I need to present properly, but Oppa keeps kneading my ass, so weird noises keep slipping out.
"The concept is."
"Like, taking a girl who commutes in casual clothes and molding her so well that she only wears this pervy maid outfit..."
In the rough sketch I drew, she was wearing a trashy maid outfit that barely covered her privates.
And I genuinely thought this was super hot.
Even if the content planning was a bit thin, this drawing alone—I thought it was good enough to use as-is for the cover of Oppa's novel.
But...
Smack!
Oppa pulled his hand away from me and spanked my ass hard.
"You idiot employee!"
"...Hik!"
I was a bit tense presenting in front of Han Gyeo-ul writer-nim, and getting spanked out of nowhere made me hiccup in surprise.
"Why? Why'd you hit me? Hik."
"You didn't read my novel, did you?"
Oppa's cold expression.
Should I tell the truth?
Or not?
Oppa already knew I was a total perv, but he didn't know I was a die-hard fan of [Imprisoning Her].
But I didn't want to reveal it yet.
If he found out I'm a fan of his novels, all the power in this relationship would definitely go to him.
If he even blackmails me with the novels...
[Ah... Na-eun-ah... Because of you, I couldn't serialize today.]
[If you keep acting up like this, I'm going on hiatus today. For real, I'll post the notice.]
[Today, I should write some lovey-dovey sex like in a pure love story~]
Whoa. Just thinking about it makes my blood run cold.
This had to stay a secret.
"...W-Well, yeah. Hik."
Smack.
This time, Oppa mercilessly smacked my left cheek.
"How are you gonna make good characters when your research is this fucked from the start?"
"Where's the problem?"
"Alright, lemme explain it short and sweet."
Minho Oppa sat back in the chair and crossed his legs.
"The protagonist, Lee Jin-seong, only fucks 'elites.'"
"So?"
"You think a maid is elite?"
"...No."
Oppa let out a deep sigh, showing his irritation.
"Hey, hey. Novels don't sell just because the drawings are pretty. If you build a character around just one hot scene like that, the novel tanks. Tanks."
I really felt pathetic.
I was just thinking of drawing something hot, not seriously pondering Oppa's novel.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
I love this novel so much...
It hurt.
I felt like I hadn't helped at all.
In the end, unable to hold back, a single tear rolled down my cheek.
"Hey... Hey. What's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
As soon as I started crying, Oppa legit panicked and rushed over to me.
"...I dunno. Hik."
"Did I say it too harshly? No. Weren't we just playing boss and employee concept?"
Oppa, not knowing what to do, awkwardly pulled me into a hug.
"Na-eun-ah. You know this was all just concept, right? Don't cry. Okay?"
My sobs and hiccups mixed, making it hard to speak.
"No. Hik. Oppa... Hik."
"No, no. You did great. You drew the pictures thinking of me and worked hard on them. Right?"
Oppa wiped my tear stains with his finger and comforted me.
I silently nodded in his arms.
"I... really... next time, I'll do better."
I meant it sincerely, promising to work hard, but for some reason, Oppa burst into a hearty laugh.
"No. I'll just work hard on the characters and pass the illustrator details to you."
It seemed like Oppa said it to manage my mentality, but it backfired.
My barely calmed tear ducts started working overtime again at his words.
Ah. So upsetting.
Why does it hurt so much?
Han Na-eun. Age 24. Crying ugly tears in my boyfriend's arms.
Reason: Wanted to make a super hot erotic novel character, but it crashed and burned like shit.
"Hweeeeng."
As I burst into tears again, Oppa started stomping around even more frantically.
I clung to him like that for a while, not letting go until his T-shirt was soaked.
"So, Han Na-eun-ssi."
My girlfriend, munching on tteokbokki with her eyes all puffy and red.
"You okay now?"
I usually joke around a lot, so I thought today's thing was just another cute event, but it felt like getting my head bashed with a hammer.
After bawling her eyes out in my arms, as soon as the crying stopped, she bolted to her room.
And about 15 minutes later.
Na-eun-ie changed into comfy clothes and quietly told me to eat.
"...I dunno."
I was thinking of moving the table from the living room back to the kitchen, but Na-eun-ie said it was fine and just laid out the food.
Thinking it'd be better to change the subject, I pondered what to say and opened my mouth.
"What should we do for my birthday?"
She, who had been sullenly just eating tteokbokki, looked up at my face.
"Oppa, what do you wanna do?"
"Me? I..."
First birthday with my girlfriend.
A few years ago, I really wanted to go to an amusement park, but lately, I'm not that craving it.
"How about going to a fancy restaurant and eating?"
Honestly, I don't remember ever going out with Na-eun-ie and eating something that luxurious.
We've eaten a lot around campus, so maybe splurge once on some high-end food.
"That sounds good."
Na-eun-ie nodded up and down twice.
"Meat? Sashimi? Or other expensive stuff. Ah. How about a hotel buffet?"
"It's Oppa's birthday, so let's go wherever you want to eat what you want. I don't picky-eat much."
I see...
"Got it. After deadline, I'll pick what I wanna eat then."
"...What about a present?"
Na-eun-ie poked at the fried stuff with her fork and asked.
"Present?"
"No present you wanna get?"
Hmm. First present.
Something full of sincerity rather than expensive stuff would be nice...
Handmade gloves or scarf or something...
But I knew well it's super hard to expect that from someone without hobbies in that area.
In times like this, just.
"Give me whatever you wanna give. Gotta trust my girlfriend's sense. What."
I grinned and answered her.
"Hmm."
She rested her chin on her hand and smiled amusedly.
Felt a bit iffy, but it was better than her sulky face earlier—this was the usual Na-eun-ie expression, and I liked it.
"No, really. Give me what you wanna give. Isn't that the flavor of presents? Surprise vibe, and a legal chance to give what you want."
"Got it."
Na-eun-ie, with a puzzled face, slowly nodded and started clearing the empty bowls.
After wiping the table and sorting the trash, the sky had gone from dim to pitch black.
"Shall we head out soon?"
I started packing my stuff.
"...It's Friday today—leaving already?"
Na-eun-ie trotted over to my side.
"Gotta write the manuscript. Me too."
Time to drop the new character for real.
Na-eun-ie stared at me silently, then suddenly started pulling up her T-shirt.
"Hey, hey. What are you doing now? Han Na-eun."
"How about an illustrator, Oppa?"
She flung off her top, leaving only a black bra covering her water-drop boobs.
"What do you mean 'how about an illustrator'? And put your clothes back on. What the hell."
"An elite, high-earning, badass beauty illustrator as the new character? Oppa."
...Essayist is kinda meh, though.