Oh? Does That Mean It's Pretty?

A Zewibe model, of all things. It wasn't a bad offer, not really.

It would be a chance to get my face out there even more, and the extra money wouldn't hurt either... Best of all—

M-me? A model?

In my days as Kim Seon-ju, before any of this, it was something I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams. My face, splashed right there on that massive website, Zewibe! When would I ever have pictured such a thing? That I would become the Zewibe model?

Of course, word was the company had gone completely under by now. But to me, it was still a corporate giant—a giant that had once owned its own skyscraper. The very giant whose stock I had even bought!

"I'd love to!"

If not now, when would I ever get my one shot at modeling? Even if I left MegaChrome and got down on my knees begging them to let me model, they'd never take me. Not that MegaChrome would ever come looking for someone like me, of course.

"...I'm sorry—did you say yes?"

"Why? Is that a problem?"

"Oh, n-no!! I'm just so moved that you accepted so readily, that I..."

"Come on—it's a chance to model for the great Zewibe. Who would turn that down?"

"The g-great Zewibe..."

For some reason, the face of Lim Jeong-gu, CEO of Zewibe, was flushing a deep, deep red. Why, though?

"S-sign the contract, please! Having you sign with us is an honor that will bless my family for generations!!"

Well... perhaps not quite to that degree. In any case, I read the contract through carefully and signed. And just like that, I was finally a Zewibe model!

Me. A model. At this rate, I might end up an influencer before long, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠huh?

"Hello! Everybody! It's Jay!"

"Today's look is idol makeup. You can get a full-coverage look with products from Olive Bread alone, so follow along closely."

"First, apply an all-in-one base lotion as your base. Oh—and this isn't an ad."

"Next up is the foundation, foun-da-foun-da... Oh, the ad model thing?"

Jay scoffed inwardly.

According to her agency manager, it wasn't some fresh startup—it had barely kept its pulse since the old days and only recently sprung back to life, as if resurrected. A place like that was all the more reason for her to step in, wasn't it? She ranked among the ten most influential people in the country, after all. Rescuing one pitiful little company would be a charitable act—and it would make her look all the sweeter to the suckers who watched her streams and flung money at her without a second thought.

Rookie actress Stella—famously just about the only rising star making any headway these days on network television, where the ratings had sunk into the gutter. Compared to a bitch like that...

I'm better. Obviously.

"It hasn't been confirmed yet, which is why I haven't said anything to my dear subscribers. Where did you all hear about it, hmm?"

A smirk flickered to life inside Jay, though her face gave away nothing.

"The people in charge will weigh every factor and make the decision."

What? They'd already decided?

Jay abandoned the eyebrow she'd been half-raising and tapped the news link floating in the chat.

"Now that I think of it, the agency did call this morning. So this was..."

But the moment she saw the article, Jay's face froze solid.

"...Ah, they called this morning, so I told them I'd pass."

"It's not that I flat-out refused—I said I wouldn't do it unless the signing fee matched my terms. I suppose the negotiation just didn't come together. Honestly, it's all for the best."

Jay beamed at the screen.

A short while later.

"That's it for today—ending the stream here! Jay-bye~!"

Having carelessly mashed the end-stream button, Jay let loose an irritated screech the instant the broadcast cut out.

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

"Who the fuck is Cheon Cho-young..."

Jay turned over the name that had been driven deep into her mind by the news she'd only glanced at earlier: Cheon Cho-young.

"...Hold on."

She opened the article again. There it was—the Zewibe headquarters logo she'd skimmed right past before, and beside it, a photograph of someone's face.

Cheon Cho-young.

"...Cho-young Farm?"

A monster rookie who had streaked into the complacent streaming scene like a comet and overrun the rankings in a single week. The very Cheon Cho-young who had brushed aside Jay—number one in beauty, number twelve overall—and planted herself proudly at number eleven overall.

Jay had nearly lost the lead of the trends to this woman once before. She'd only defended her Trendsetter title by being quick on her feet and posting retro-styled photos of her own.

Was it that old experience? Or the sight of this woman overtaking her and settling into eleventh place after barely a week? Just looking at Cheon Cho-young's face was enough to make Jay break out in hives.

"Th-this bitch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went and overtook me to become the Zewibe headquarters model?"

A nothing gig like the Zewibe model—fine, not doing it would have been the end of that. But this was a different story entirely. If I turn it down, fine—but having it snatched away? That's a step too far.

With a haughty tilt of her chin, Jay dialed her manager.

Click—

Cheon Cho-young. Crawl and claw your way up all you like—what company in Korea would dare refuse me, Jay?

"Heheh. Rise too fast, and you're bound to get burned."

I'll show you your place. As your senior.

The next day.

I'd expected something to change once I became a model. All it amounted to was snapping a few photographs.

"Alright, eyes over here! Yes! That's the expression—beautiful!"

It was my first time in front of a camera, and even with my somewhat stiff expression, he swore it was wonderful.

"You've got that first-love quality about you? Hahaha!!"

I stream on camera for a living—what could possibly be awkward about a photo? Well, a photograph, whose entire purpose is to make you look your prettiest, and a live broadcast are two different beasts entirely. Convinced my face wasn't much to show off, I was the type to come back from every trip with nothing but scenery shots. When had I ever properly worked a pose or an expression?

And yet.

"Ooh, love it! That's it!! There you go! Ah, you've got features to die for and you've been letting them go to waste. Yes, ease toward the center for me!! Okay!!!!"

With a photographer gushing over every soft smile and every slight shift of my body, even my long-extinct self-esteem came roaring back to life. As the hours went by, my poses and expressions grew bolder and bolder.

"Now this time, that English word... yes. That one. Shall we have you hold it for the shot?"

Perhaps two hours had passed?

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠photographer, wearing the haggard look of a man burned down to the wick, switched off the hologram and came over.

"In thirty years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind the camera, I have never seen a subject this perfect. Any interest in working with me professionally?"

"Just make sure the retouching's good."

"Aw, what a shame. A real shame. My door is always open—do think it over! Yes?"

Once the photographer, who had urged me several times over, finally took his leave, the tension drained out of me and my shoulders sagged. I hadn't meant to slump—my back simply hurt so much that I crumpled on my own. Spotting a chair, I hurried over and dropped into it. Standing that long had left my shoulders and lower back aching dully.

Turns out being this big really does come with more downsides than perks. Honestly.

"Wonderful work out there!"

The man crying out from clear across the room as he came jogging up, iced Americano in hand, was none other than Zewibe's CEO, Lim Jeong-gu. Beaming, he handed me the drink, then made the rounds treating the staff with the armfuls of coffee he'd brought. When he returned to my side, he wore a faint smile.

"Tiring, wasn't it?"

"Well. A little?"

"We're planning to release the ad the moment the retouching is finished. Thank goodness we have plenty of investors, I tell you! And every last one of them gives you a big thumbs-up—says you're a perfect fit as our model."

"Who are these investors, exactly?"

"Pajeok Holdings, Cheonglim Capital..."

"Worth a thumbs-up, all right."

So that was why. No wonder they were flinging money around just to hire a bottom-tier streamer as their model.

And that was when the room suddenly began to buzz.

At first I didn't pay it much mind, but then every gaze in the room swung to a single point, and my head turned along with them.

Who on earth is that?

"Oh my, hello there?"

"Oh my, it's been far too long! You've only gotten more beautiful! Hohoho!"

A tall woman swept in amid all the noisy greetings. She was so achingly beautiful that even from across the room she seemed to glow with a halo of her own.

Wow. She's gorgeous.

I was still entertaining that idle admiration when—

Is she coming toward me?

Why? That beautiful, curvy, statuesque woman was walking straight toward me. Seriously, why?

And then, without warning, she stuck out a lovely hand and flashed a dazzling smile.

"A pleasure to meet you. Cheon... Cho-young, was it?"

"Ah, yes. You know of me?"

There wasn't a whisper of spiritual energy about her—so she was a mortal, then. Which meant I'd better take that hand as gently as I possibly could, so it didn't snap. Gently. Just gently.

"I'm Jay. Jay. You do know me, don't you? Hohot."

"Ah, yes. A pleasure."

Who's Jay, though? No idea—but god, she was gorgeous.

For some reason, the eyebrow of the woman calling herself Jay gave an offended little twitch. Then she pinched the hem of my robe and said,

"Oh my, wherever did you buy this outfit? It positively reeks of street-market chic. Do they even make fabric like this anymore? Hilarious, truly."

Oh? Does that mean it's pretty?