Chapter 63: Thugs

As we climbed up to the second floor, Joo-hyuk, who had been greeting the various guests who'd come for the exhibition, spotted us and welcomed us with a bright smile.

"Hey! Yunah, Hyeong-sik, come on in!"

"Congrats on the exhibition, sir."

He shook hands with each of us in turn and even guided us inside before heading back to the entrance to greet more guests. Leaving the busy Joo-hyuk behind, Yunah noona and I began wandering the exhibition hall, which was filled with far more people than he'd mentioned last time.

In addition to photos of me and Yunah noona, there were pictures of other models on display. Given the exhibition's theme of Love & Sex, every single photo was extremely explicit. Amid shots of male or female models nude, close-ups of genitals in stark detail caught our eyes. Of course, they were tame compared to the ones of me and Yunah noona, where male and female models pressed their parts together...

We slowly made our way around, checking out the other models' photos first before heading to the innermost area where ours were hung.

Stepping into one room at the back of the spacious hall, we were met with our photos, the people admiring them, and a low murmur that hadn't been audible from outside. Well, it would've been weirder if people weren't talking about seeing photos this explicit in Korea.

Most of the chatter was about Joo-hyuk's bold challenge, but then I heard something grating.

"Dude, that chick's body's killer, right?"

"Yeah, you don't see tits that perfect every day, heh heh heh."

Turning toward the voices, I spotted two guys giving off serious thug vibes. Both around 170-something cm, skinny builds. Their pretty-boy faces and clothes looked expensive at a glance, but they just reeked of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cheapness overall. Even with people around, they kept spewing vulgar crap, oblivious that I—the model in the photo—was glaring at them.

Staring at a photo where only my mouth was censored as I sucked Yunah noona's perky, erect nipples, the two punks let out more lewd remarks.

"How good must it have felt for that male model sucking those stiff nips? Our artist's guy never calls me for this stuff... I could've given him a real show, heh heh."

"Yeah, if he'd called me too, it'd be 2-on-1 for way more fun... And with a body like that, one guy's not gonna satisfy her, right?"

Their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lowbrow talk was now disgusting enough to bother everyone, not just me—other viewers frowned and left the room. My temper flared, and I figured I had to stop them before they ruined the whole exhibition. This was basically my debut as a photo model; I couldn't just let saboteurs get away with it.

But as I stepped toward them, Yunah noona grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Let it go... Messing with them will just backfire on us. Best to steer clear of shit, yeah?"

"No, what the hell did those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bastards say...?"

"I'll explain later. Let's just get outta here for now."

My good mood plummeted to rock bottom, but I let her lead me out of the room. My head was still boiling from those scumbags' attitudes, refusing to cool down. Yunah noona dragged me to a quieter corner of the hall and spoke up.

"Don't get mad over trash like that. Once they're gone, we can go back and enjoy the photos."

"But why are you protecting those assholes? Sure, shit's dirty so you avoid it, but you can't just leave it stinking up the place. Gotta clean it up."

"You're right, Hyeong-sik. But..."

Seeing my anger wouldn't subside, she finally explained their identities to calm me down. According to her, those two thugs who'd pissed me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off were members of one of the top three chaebol families in Korea—and nephews of Lee Soo-kyung, the OO Gallery director sponsoring this exhibition's star, Joo-hyuk.

Lee Soo-kyung. Youngest daughter of the head of what could be called Korea's biggest conglomerate, director of the country's largest art gallery, and a major player in the art world. Even I, who didn't care much about chaebols, knew her name and face. Hearing it mentioned left me a bit stunned.

Confirming my reaction, Yunah noona glanced around cautiously and continued.

"Technically, they're from another chaebol branch, not directly hers, but they're infamous for showing up at events or exhibitions sponsored by their aunt and acting like that."

"Wait, doesn't Lee Soo-kyung know? Her own nephews are dragging her name through the mud—she should do something."

"Dunno... Probably not. I hear affected artists and organizers just hush it up. You know the saying—blood's thicker than water. Even if they told her, it'd probably backfire on them, so everyone just lets it slide."

Come to think of it, Joo-hyuk was greeting guests at the entrance instead of mingling inside, where he could've. Maybe because of those guys. He had to know what was going on, but taking action against the director's nephews who'd sponsored him? Tough spot.

I'd never been able to stand injustice since I was a kid, so learning more just made me angrier. Just then, the two bastards finished up inside and strolled out. One glanced our way, eyeing Yunah noona with a sleazy look.

I stepped between them, blocking his creepy gaze.

"Tch..."

He snorted and turned away, heading to the exit with his buddy. They chatted briefly with Joo-hyuk at the entrance before vanishing.

"Phew, finally gone... C'mon, Hyeong-sik, back inside. We gotta see our photos."

"Yeah, let's go, noona."

Feeling like I'd stepped in dog shit during a nice walk, I followed her lead back into the room. The erotic shots—brimming with Joo-hyuk's talent in their composition and quality—filled the space, but my ruined mood kept me from appreciating them properly. It pissed me off even more that those two had spoiled my chance to enjoy my debut works.

Then Yunah noona wrapped her arm around my waist, leaned into me, and looked up with her pretty face.

"C'mon, cool it already~ Yeah? Getting worked up over them just hurts you. Your first modeling shots—with the talented Joo-hyuk, no less. Gotta savor them right."

"Sigh... Got it. I'm fine now, don't worry."

"For real? Then check this photo. It's us, but damn, it's hot, right? ❤️"

Her coaxing, laced with a bit of aegyo, finally settled my boiling guts. Only then did the photo she pointed to hit me properly, letting me fully take in its seductive beauty.

In it, Yunah noona straddled me in what looked like cowgirl position, her curvaceous body tracing gorgeous lines. And the way our genitals seemed actually inserted—even I, who was there for the shoot, felt naughty thoughts stir... My groin tingled.

We meticulously examined the other works one by one, and by the time we finished, lunchtime had flown by.

Realizing the time, I clutched my growling stomach and hurried out with Yunah noona. Joo-hyuk, still at the entrance, called us back.

"Did you two enjoy it? Nothing big—just wondering if you can make it to the afterparty nearby tonight."

As he asked about our attendance, a new quest window popped up over my lens.