Chapter 37: I Woke Up to Find the World... (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: I Woke Up to Find the World... (2)
“But Sis, isn’t your palate a bit too... unrefined?”
“What are you talking about? This is delicious.”
“Guys actually fall for that kind of thing. Try not to tell people you love boiled pork if you can help it.”
“Whatever. I just have cheap taste and eat anything.”
“Are you saying the boiled pork your mother made is cheap?”
“No, that’s not what I meant... Hey! You’re making me trip over my words!”
Of all my past lives, the one that left the strongest impression was my time as a Panokseon rower during the Imjin War.
The last meal Eonnyeoni made for me before I headed to the final battlefield was boiled meat with pickled cabbage.
Maybe because of that memory, I lose my mind whenever I see boiled pork or anything similar.
Boiled, fried, grilled over an open flame, or pan-seared—I love meat any way it’s cooked.
“Don’t you just like meat in general?”
“I guess so.”
As I continued scarfing down the boiled pork, Mom’s gaze felt unusually intense today. It felt like my face was going to burn.
“Mom? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“My daughter, you came out so beautifully.”
“It’s probably because your genes did all the heavy lifting.”
“You really looked so pretty.”
“...”
She must have binged all sixteen episodes in a single day...
I kept my eyes down and focused on shoveling the boiled pork into my mouth.
“Sis, the drama’s out. Aren’t you curious about the viewers’ reactions?”
“I’d rather just not know.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to know in advance? You need to be mentally prepared.”
“Is it bad or good?”
“As an actress, it’s incredibly good!”
“If I know that much, I’ve heard enough. No need to know more.”
“You should at least know how many people are currently wailing, possessed by your elf-ness...”
“Shut up! You’re ruining my appetite.”
As the tray was nearly empty, I turned to Mom.
“I’m going to head to the hair salon.”
“Huh? At this hour? Do you have an appointment?”
“I don’t, but I’m just going for a consultation, so it should be fine.”
“What kind of consultation?”
“I’m going to cut my hair now. It’s time to clean it up.”
“Yu-jin, you know, right? Don’t forget to make a wig out of what you cut.”
“Yes, yes, that’s why I’m going for the consultation. The salon offers a wig-making service now.”
I had originally planned to stop dyeing my hair once I started university.
But since I’d already revealed my face in the drama, I decided to just go ahead with it now.
I planned to make a wig out of the hair I was dyeing now and wear it whenever the silver hair felt too conspicuous.
“Sis, how short are you going?”
“A pixie cut.”
“With your personality, you won’t be able to maintain that. No joke, you’d have to go to the salon at least once a week to trim it. Especially since your hair grows twice as fast as everyone else’s.”
“Ah, then should I go with a bob?”
“Just leave it long enough to slightly pass your shoulders. Your hair is long enough now that you’ll still have plenty for a wig even if you do that.”
A younger brother’s opinion is a strange thing.
I knew he was right, but it made me want to do the exact opposite.
“Yes, Yu-seok is right. Leave it just past your shoulders and make the rest into a wig.”
“Fine.”
Since the drama was released only yesterday, the people at the salon probably wouldn’t know yet. I wasn’t even the lead; I was more like a supporting actor with almost no lines.
Yu-seok was just making a fuss, as usual, acting like a tempest in a teapot.
My face only appears in episode 16. There was no way anyone at the salon had already finished a sixteen-episode drama that just came out yesterday.
*
[Daniel! Daniel!]
[Customer Lee Yu-jin is here right now!!!]
Daniel Choe, who had been wandering the cyber world with hollow eyes searching for crumbs of Yeon Si-ho content, bolted upright at the message from work.
“Hyung? Where are you going?”
“The salon. It’s an emergency.”
“I thought you were on vacation?”
“I have to go anyway.”
He sprinted out the front door toward the bus stop, his vision feeling a bit blurred.
In the swaying bus, Daniel quietly reflected on why he was gripped by such emotion.
‘Is it because Customer Lee Yu-jin—no, Yeon Si-ho’s end was so sad?’
She hadn’t died.
She had simply lost all her power and returned to being a sword.
Someday, Yeon Si-ho would wake up again.
But could anyone guarantee that Yeon Si-ho’s long slumber would end while the Empress was still alive, or that the two would ever reunite?
The difference between human time and a Sword Spirit’s time was agonizingly vast.
‘Am I really this immersed in the drama? Why do I keep feeling like...’
He thought his sensitivity and tears had dried up long ago while living a hectic social life. Yet, as he sat on the bus, tears kept threatening to fall.
Finally, he arrived at the salon.
Rushing up the stairs to the second floor, Daniel Choe felt the very atmosphere change.
A presence that sucked in all surrounding gazes like a black hole—Lee Yu-jin—was sitting alone at a large waiting table, scrolling through her phone.
Even the way she leaned back comfortably in her chair with her legs crossed, just flicking through her screen, was as elegant as a pictorial.
Daniel Choe realized that the gazes fixed on Lee Yu-jin were divided.
‘Those who saw the drama, and those who haven’t.’
The former looked at her with eyes full of awe, just like him, while the latter simply stared, captivated by a beautiful subject as usual.
Suddenly, an inexplicable sense of superiority over those who hadn’t seen the drama surged within him.
‘I’ve seen it. I’ve seen Customer Lee Yu-jin’s true elf-ness.’
In the fandom that had formed in that short time, the term ‘Lee Yu-shik Elf-ness’ had already been coined.
Lee Yu-shik could mean baby food, but it also meant ‘characteristic of the actress Lee Yu (her stage name).’
Lee Yu-jin had used her real name minus the last syllable as her stage name.
“Daniel, I think you should handle Customer Lee Yu-jin’s consultation yourself.”
“Me? Really?”
“She said she wants to make a wig out of her own hair.”
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Daniel’s heart pounded at the thought of finally having a proper conversation with Lee Yu-jin.
“Hello, Customer. I’m Daniel Choe. I heard you wanted a consultation for wig production.”
“Yes, I’d like to get started as soon as possible.”
“If you’d like, we can cut it right now. How does that sound?”
“That would be great.”
“Then, for the shampoo...”
Looking around, the female staff members were all busy.
Daniel Choe asked cautiously.
“I’m sorry, but the female staff are all occupied at the moment. Would it be alright if I handled the shampoo for you?”
“I don’t mind.”
And so, Daniel Choe was graced with the honor of washing Lee Yu-jin’s hair himself.
“Is the para... is the water temperature alright?”
“It’s perfect.”
‘Customer, I feel like I’m in paradise right now.’
Customers who want to talk communicate actively.
Customers who don’t want small talk aren’t bothered with uncomfortable chatter.
This was the golden rule of the salon, one he had followed habitually until now.
But right now, Daniel Choe was itching with an almost unbearable urge to speak first.
To tell her he enjoyed the drama.
That it was so fun, so impressive.
That he had become a fan.
But this was his workplace.
He couldn’t impose such discomfort on a customer.
“How much length would you like to leave?”
“Just enough to slightly pass my shoulders.”
“Would this much be alright?”
“Yes.”
As he cut her hair, the silver strands that had grown out considerably from the roots caught his eye.
It seemed she didn’t intend to dye it anymore.
“Customer, since you have natural silver hair, are you planning to stop dyeing it and use a black wig when necessary? Ah, I only ask because I can show you an easy way to wear the wig.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll guide you through that once we’re finished.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s part of the service.”
As he trimmed the ends of her hair after cutting the portion for the wig, his eyes grew strangely hot.
‘What’s wrong with me? Am I really that immersed in the drama? Is it because I stayed up all night? I’ve sobered up, though...’
After storing the hair for the wig and finishing the styling, they sat at the consultation table.
Lee Yu-jin listened intently as he explained the production costs, maintenance, and how to wear it.
“Here is a manual with everything summarized, so you can refer to it. If you have any questions, feel free to call the shop at the number listed here.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay now.”
When he took the card Lee Yu-jin handed him and went to the counter, the staff were whispering excitedly.
‘Did the news break? About her appearing as the elf in the drama?’
He thought that was it, but it wasn’t.
“Oh my god, oh my god. Customer Lee Yu-jin just posted a review for our salon!”
“A 5-star rating and glowing praise! Wow, what is with our shop today?”
“She posted a review?”
“Yes, just now.”
“It’s brand new. Take a look.”
Daniel Choe quickly pulled out his phone and checked the salon’s portal reviews.
[Lee*jin] I inquired about wig production, and the designer explained everything so kindly. I’ve been coming here for several years, and the skill level is great and everyone is so kind. It’s the best. I want to protest why the platform blocks us from giving 100 stars.
[Rating: ★★★★★]
Thud!
Feeling as if a stone had dropped in his chest, Daniel Choe quickly looked over at Lee Yu-jin.
Lee Yu-jin was looking around the salon with a bittersweet expression, taking plenty of selfies.
Since it was the first time anyone had seen her taking selfies, the staff and customers were watching with curiosity and delight.
But...
‘She’s not taking selfies... She’s pretending to take selfies while recording the scenery of the salon.’
As if she would never come back.
As if she were capturing the familiar sights of the salon one last time.
The 5-star rating and the glowing review were meant as that.
Lee Yu-jin’s own way of saying goodbye.
And only Daniel Choe—the only one who had witnessed the end of the Sword Spirit Elf today—knew that truth.
Only then did he realize.
‘The reason my heart sank when I heard Customer Lee Yu-jin came without an appointment... was because I sensed this.’
His subconscious had already anticipated the parting with Lee Yu-jin.
‘She’ll be a famous star soon, so she won’t be coming to a neighborhood franchise salon like this anymore. No, she won’t even be able to.’
After processing the payment, Daniel Choe composed his expression and approached Lee Yu-jin.
“Everything is all set, Customer.”
“Thank you. Oh, someone else will come to pick up the wig instead of me.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you for everything.”
To a casual listener, it sounded like a simple thank you, but he could tell the words ‘all this time’ were implied.
Daniel Choe went out to the front door to see her off.
Just as designers usually do, just like always.
As he was about to give his final greeting, Daniel Choe struggled with an impulse that threatened to burst out.
‘I really enjoyed the drama. I’ve become a fan.’
Desperately holding back those words, Daniel Choe smiled.
“Thank you. Please come again, Customer.”
“Goodbye.”
Lee Yu-jin trudged down the stairs.
Daniel Choe stood there like a stone statue long after she had disappeared, then pulled out his phone and opened the review she had left.
And he left a comment on the review.
└ I really enjoyed your work. I’ve become a fan. (Designer Daniel Choe)
He deleted the comment as soon as he posted it.
The notification would have gone through, so only Lee Yu-jin would be able to see it.
*
“Yu-jin! Yu-jin!”
Jang Ji-hye clung to me noisily as soon as she saw me.
“The silver hair looks so good on you! Let’s dye it, dye it! Huh? Please? You’re the prettiest girl in the district! A reincarnated elf!”
“Jang Ji-hye. My ears hurt.”
“Yu-jin, we really need to test your parents’ DNA. Maybe there’s a very, very faint trace of Northern European blood mixed in!”
At those words, Mom looked intrigued.
“Now that Ji-hye mentions it, I’m curious. Is that kind of thing possible these days?”
“Yes, yes! They say you can find out exactly where your ancestors came from. You should try it. It doesn’t cost much.”
“I should seriously consider it.”
“But Yu-jin, why did you cut your hair all of a sudden?”
“Oh, to make a wig. I’m not going to dye it anymore.”
“Dye it?”
“Ah... just see for yourself.”
I showed her the top of my head.
Realizing the reason, Jang Ji-hye’s mouth fell open in shock before she finally managed to speak.
“You... the black was the dye? You were Silver Tier all along?”
“Silver Tier? Are you insulting me right now?”
Calling me Silver when I’m a top-tier Challenger that pro e-sports teams are begging to meet?
“I had no idea. How could you do this to me?”
Since I’d been using color spray after I stopped dyeing my roots, Ji-hye hadn’t known. I’d meant to tell her eventually, but I’d forgotten.
Once the shock subsided, Jang Ji-hye grabbed my shoulders and gave an ominous laugh.
“When you go to the makeup classes tomorrow, isn’t the school going to be turned upside down?”
“I don’t think it’ll be that big of a deal.”
“You underestimate your own combat power too much.”
“She’s right, Ji-hye Noona. My sister is the only one who devalues the power of the asymmetric strategic weapon she possesses. That infinite level of beauty...”
Smack!
“Are you asking for another slap on the back?”
“Ack! Sis, your fist is a lethal weapon!”
Anyway, I can’t believe I have to go to school during vacation.
It’s so painful.
This is all because of the gold bars Yoon Se-rang gave me.