Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Makings of a Model
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I’m gonna be a modeling pro!!!
I had only left a short post on the Active Hunter Gallery, but it shot up to the featured posts in an instant, kicking off Season 2 of the Clique Cartel Public Shaming. They rambled on about fake verifications and AI-synthesized images. By showing up and posting, I had poured fuel on the dying embers of the drama, and now the Active Hunter bros were furious and starting to lash out again.
“Hehehe, this is it.”
Why did they even start? They shouldn’t be tearing down a stranger they’ve never even met. Since they're all people who've been Hunters for around ten years, they probably aren't young. They should just think of it as a life lesson that comes with age!
The world really is unfair fr
Please come back
“Huhu, my fame is growing.”
I don’t really browse the Active Hunter Gallery, but I like that they see me in a good light. Now that I’ve checked the mood, maybe I should head back to the Awakening Gallery!
Nooo, don’t get sick, gallery idol.
Princess-nimmm T_T You have to stay healthyyyy T_T (DUAAAAA) (DUAAAAA)
*Ughhh ughhh*
“Hmmmm…”
But the more I browsed the Awakening Gallery, the more I felt this wasn’t the kind of forum experience I wanted. It’s true I wanted to be a well-known name, but having everyone flood the comments to praise me like this… it felt a little different.
It was supposed to be more subtle! Not this blatant coddling and babying, but more like, “Whoa, that person is actually amazing, holy crap.” The catharsis was meant to come from the reveal that the dumb, fixed-username user you laughed and joked with on the gallery was actually an incredible A-rank Hunter.
“Sigh, maybe I should take a short break.”
In times like these, it’s best to step away from the gallery for a bit. The Awakening Gallery gets a lot of new users, so if I wait about three months, there will probably be plenty of people who don’t know me.
I tend to make a note of most of the semi-anonymous users, and for some reason, they all seem to disappear or vanish, only to be replaced by new ones. Anyway, Ophelia will be calling me for lunch soon, so…
“Princess.”
“Alright! Is it mealtime?”
“No, it’s another matter. It’s regarding a collaboration message from the British premium brand, Royal Mayfair.”
“So it’s not food…”
“I will serve your meal first.”
Hey, this makes me sound like some kid who only leeches off her for food.
“Nom nom nom.”
“Is the meal to your liking?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s delicious! Ophelia’s cooking is the best.”
“Thank you.”
I feel like I should be the one saying thank you, but it’s a bit awkward when Ophelia beats me to it. As always, Ophelia was replenishing her energy to reduce her magic consumption, slowly chewing on something that looked like a white brick.
“Ophelia… is that tasty?”
“Taste is not of great importance to me. The most important thing is to obtain high calories at a low cost.”
“Hmm… I think it would be nice if we ate together.”
“Is that so?”
“Food tastes best when you eat it with someone.”
Except when I’m starving and there’s not much to go around. I remember once, back when I worked at the convenience store, I had to share the last expired bento box with the clerk from the previous shift. It was incredibly annoying. I wonder what that guy is up to now.
“Then, if you’ll pardon the intrusion, I will give you a brief explanation while you dine.”
“Okay, I’ll listen while I eat.”
Royal Mayfair, a famous British clothing brand, originated in Mayfair, a district that’s kind of like the Cheongdam-dong or Apgujeong of England. The offer I received was from Mayfair Kids, proposing a modeling gig to promote their children’s clothing line.
“They have proposed 650 pounds for eight looks in one day.”
“Pounds… eight looks? What does that mean…?”
“It is an offer to pay you 1.2 million won for wearing eight sets of clothes and having your picture taken.”
“Whaaaaaat!!!!”
Wait, so they’re going to pay me 1.2 million won just for changing clothes eight times? Isn’t that an absolutely amazing deal?
“Th-that’s incredible! 1.2 million won just for taking a few pictures…!”
Back when I was a convenience store clerk, the only ways to make 1.2 million won in a day were things like insurance fraud through self-harm or selling a kidney. This was on a level that could be called an industrial revolution.
“No, that is not the case at all.”
“Huh?”
But Ophelia’s reaction was incredibly cold.
“For a children’s clothing brand of Royal Mayfair’s caliber to offer 650 pounds for eight looks in a day… is a tremendous insult.”
“It is…?”
Honestly, I didn’t quite get it. Isn’t getting 1.2 million won for trying on eight outfits a fantastic deal? But Ophelia is smart… and I’ve never had any interest in modeling, so I don’t really know.
“Then… what’s the right amount?”
“The value of your Highness’s visage is limitless, but to compromise realistically, I believe you should receive around 3,300 pounds for three looks a day.”
“Uh, ugh… my heaaad…”
“That is 6 million won.”
“Hieeek…!”
Have I been underestimating models? Sure, they’re handsome, tall, and striking… but I always thought it was a profession that was a slight step down from the world of influencers and other celebrities.
They earned this much money…?
“But… isn’t getting 6 million won for changing clothes three times basically robbery?”
“In reality, for a single look, a set of top and bottom, they take dozens of pictures. Sometimes, they take over 100 photos.”
“Ah, I see… so that’s how it is.”
That made sense. It wasn’t like taking a selfie at home where I just strike a pose, flash a peace sign, and I’m done. They have to properly promote the best features of the clothes, so they’d probably take dozens of shots per outfit, changing poses each time.
“On average, for a shoot that requires a high level of brand importance or perfection, one look can take anywhere from 20 minutes on the short end to 40 minutes.”
“Hee, then eight looks… if it was eight looks, eight times four is twenty-four…”
“It is 32.”
“…Ah, a genuine mistake.”
“Yes.”
Anyway, that meant I might have had to work for 320 minutes. And for 1.2 million won… it still seems like a lot of money, doesn’t it? But it does sound a bit more difficult than I initially thought.
“So… that Maple…”
“Mayfair.”
“Ah, Mayfair. Why did they make an offer like that?”
“They have likely undervalued your worth, Princess. While your beauty is indeed unique, your public recognition is still significantly lacking.”
“Recognition… how much do I need?”
“Eloise Whitmore, a model and ambassador influencer for Mayfair Kids, currently has 1.8 million followers.”
Hmph, what’s this. 1.8 million? That’s kinda… whatever. Maxy has 4 million, doesn’t she? Utaha has 8 million. Chaerin has 6.8 million. And Arjun has 800 million followers on Instagram.
Should I just go to Bollywood, grab a bowl of curry, and dance with Arjun? If he gives me a shout-out on Instagram, and even just a tenth of his followers follow me, I’d have 80 million followers!
“Eloise Whitmore is currently 11 years old and has been active for three months.”
“Ah, that’s a lot.”
Hearing it like that suddenly made her seem formidable. 1.8 million in three months? That would be 18 million in 30 months… well, not really, but still. Suddenly, I felt so small.
“So what should I do?”
“First, I would like to ask your intentions, Princess. It goes without saying that I plan to reject the current terms offered by Royal Mayfair. However, in my opinion, Mayfair is a brand sufficient to accentuate your charms.”
“You’re asking if I’m willing to do the job if you renegotiate the terms?”
“That is correct. I will bring back terms that Your Highness will find sufficiently satisfactory.”
To be honest, I was already tempted by the 1.2 million for eight looks. And with Ophelia putting it this way, it was hard for me to refuse. Besides… it was a famous British brand, right? Even if I didn’t know much about it.
It would be great for my Instagram, and it seemed like it would be fun to take pictures in England. Most of all, I was dying to know how the Awakening Gallery would react when I bragged about it.
“Okay! If the terms are good enough for you, Ophelia, then I think I’ll do it.”
“Understood. Then I will proceed with renegotiations, taking ample time.”
I felt drained after the talk about Mayfair was over. Time to eat. I’d said I would listen comfortably while eating, but somehow, listening to all that made it hard for the food to go down.
“Now for the next item on the agenda.”
“Huh?”
“Ugh…”
—Beep.
My phone. Why did I make it a dog golem?
“Doggo, can’t you just be a cat?”
If I had made a cat golem instead of a dog golem from the start, I wouldn’t have to take it for walks, right? No, in the first place, it’s a golem, so why does it even need a walk? Now that I think about it, it does kind of look like a cat. Of course, Ophelia told me to take it for walks so I wouldn’t get fat. She said I need to manage my figure if I’m going to be a model.
“And this guy doesn’t even walk properly.”
—Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
“Hey, Doggo. Are you going to keep bothering your princess?”
—Beep…
“You’re saying I have to take responsibility since I made you? Alright…”