Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Unexpected Spotlight
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Seo-ah let out a sigh.
Yeah. I had a feeling it would turn out like this.
“Seo-ah, is this really you!?”
Looking at her closest classmate, Lee Hye-jin, who was shoving a familiar photoshoot magazine in her face, Seo-ah just nodded.
“……Yeah, it’s me.”
“Amazing……! Th-that dragon lady, she’s your older sister!?”
“Dragon lady? What’s that?”
“That’s just what people were calling her?”
“What’s with the ‘lady’? She’s just my sister……. They don’t even use her name—what kind of ridiculous title is ‘dragon lady’?”
“But she took care of that scary mutant who showed up at school back then, right? She protected us, didn’t she?”
“That person isn’t exactly the heroic type…….”
“No, forget that—what’s up with you suddenly being so pretty? No, more than that, since when are you a model!?”
“Well…….”
Seo-ah told Hye-jin what had happened.
Seo Jin-ha, who had taken an interest in her older sister, had seen Seo-ah and suggested she try a shoot.
“What……? She really said that?”
Hye-jin, looking at Seo-ah boldly featured in the magazine, nodded as if it made sense.
“Seeing this, yeah, I get it. What’s going on? You’re not the Yoon Seo-ah I knew.”
“Who knows.”
“The world is so unfair.”
“What is?”
“Some people have such perfect bone structure, and modeling talent on top of that…….”
“Modeling talent? Come on.”
Hye-jin was dumbfounded by Seo-ah’s response. What was this magazine they were looking at right now, then?
Her sister aside, Yoon Seo-ah herself had this completely different aura about her now.
She’d seen a familiar face in today’s news magazine feature and thought it rang a bell, but to think it was her own classmate.
She’d always thought Seo-ah’s features were stunning, but with professional makeup and styling, she looked right at home alongside celebrities who’d gotten the full TV-ready treatment.
Suddenly, Hye-jin wondered why someone like this had even befriended her.
“So what’s this, then? You look like a total celeb—it’s not like you lack talent. I thought you were some celebrity when I first saw it.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“It is. I’m not overreacting…… People are looking for you everywhere right now. Check your chats.”
“Why chats all of a sudden?”
The moment Seo-ah checked her messages, she couldn’t help but look stunned.
It was like everyone and their mother was trying to reach her.
“……Why is everyone doing this?”
“You’re not seriously asking that, right?”
“Please……. I deliberately hid that my sister’s a mutant because I figured this would happen.”
“But haven’t you already gone too far to turn back now?”
Seo-ah let out a sigh at Hye-jin’s words. She was right.
“I guess.”
“Just give up. It’s too late. There were already more than a few people interested in you anyway.”
“Sadly, I’m not interested.”
“There you go again. So who is your type, then?”
“Who knows…… I’m swamped as it is—how could I even think about dating?”
“You live such a boring life. If it were me, I’d have snagged some hot guy by now.”
“That’s because it’s you. There’s no one in our department I like anyway.”
“You have high standards.”
“And what have you done for me with your low ones?”
“Nothing specific, but……. So, are you going to keep modeling?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“If you’re modeling for Seo Jin-ha, you’ve already hit the jackpot, haven’t you? You’ll just keep rising from here.”
“What are you talking about? I was just there as my sister’s stand-in from the start.”
“……Looking at how much effort went into this, you don’t look like a stand-in at all.”
“You think they’d slack off on something going in a magazine?”
“Oh.”
“What, stating the obvious? Anyway, if you’d seen the shoot, you’d know I was just a stand-in. Look…… right here. You think they cared about me?”
“True, that makes sense. But still, catching the eye of someone like that means you could make a living as a model, right?”
“I’m thinking about it. Whether I should go into this or not……. I’ll text Jin-ha later and ask.”
Envy bloomed on Hye-jin’s face at Seo-ah’s words.
“I’m so jealous…… Knowing a world-class designer like that and even having her number.”
“I only met her thanks to my sister, though…….”
“Still, that’s something! If you become a huge model someday, don’t pretend you don’t know me, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“Oh, that’s my Seo-ah! Finally, someone around me is going to be a celebrity!”
“I’m not yet. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Heh, in my eyes, it’s just a matter of time. Soon.”
“Yeah, yeah. If I make it big, I’ll take you along for the ride.”
“Oh, hey, say that again. Let me record it.”
Seo-ah just laughed off Hye-jin’s antics.
Even so, she felt a twinge of worry.
She knew that sudden attention like this would bring annoying people into her life one way or another.
Her best friend Hye-jin was one thing, but not everyone would look at her favorably. She’d probably get dragged into some petty drama eventually.
Her sister headed a national agency, so no one would dare touch her directly, but the world was full of crazies, and some couldn’t control their emotions, twisting them into something ugly.
Plus, outside of Hye-jin, she wasn’t that close to the other classmates in her department…… Something bad was bound to happen soon.
That was what worried her.
Jealousy had a way of driving people madder than you’d think.
Some wouldn’t even be able to judge things rationally.
* * *
[Jo Min-hyuk: Yo lol what’s this?]
What Min-hyuk posted in the group chat was the photoshoot I’d done. Ah, yeah. No way these guys would stay quiet.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: That’s how it happened……. I told Han-gyeol last time, but guess you guys haven’t heard?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Yeah lol We forgot to tell everyone cuz you suddenly turned into a dragon and caused a huge scene back then]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Oh…… right]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Total glow-up lol How does Yoon Seo-hyun end up in a photoshoot? Feels like the two most mismatched things in the world colliding ㅇㅇ]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Dude, they said they’d give me 1 billion won clothes for free if I did it—you wouldn’t pass?]
[Han Tae-hoon: ?]
[Heo Ji-hoon: ? 1 billion? What?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: The one who did my shoot was Seo Jin-ha]
[Han Tae-hoon: For real? That Seo Jin-ha?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Why does everyone know her? You guys who wouldn’t know the king of fashion?]
[Han Tae-hoon: You’re not Korean if you don’t lol She’s one of the pillars of national pride ㅋㅋ]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Then how come my little sister didn’t? She’s even into fashion]
[Han Tae-hoon: For real?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Ah…… But she said she was too busy to pay attention to stuff outside]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Why?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: She was a freshman just starting college, and I was in the hospital mid-mutation at the time]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Fair enough lol Anyway, so she gave you clothes from someone like that?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Yeah, quite a few in exchange for the shoot]
[Jo Min-hyuk: How much would that sell for?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Are you trash for real? Why would I sell them?]
[Han Tae-hoon: Tsk tsk what a total scumbag]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Fr lol]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Just curious ;;]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: You probably couldn’t even appraise them right? And if they’re mine, some premium might attach?]
[Han Tae-hoon: Premium out of nowhere?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Dragon’s clothes…… something like that lol People love slapping weird value on unique stuff—earrings if it dangles from the ear, nose ring if from the nose]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Sounds plausible just hearing it. Anyway, that shoot is overwhelmingly good]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Fr, I didn’t even recognize you at first]
[Han Tae-hoon: Is it the lighting or something?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: What, you wanna shower me with praise now?]
[Han Tae-hoon: Did he get weaker? Feels like the guy changed completely after mutating lol]
[Heo Ji-hoon: The dude who’d never say stuff like that is doing it, so I still can’t get used to it]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: If you saw his face as often as I do, you’d adjust lol You guys don’t have overlapping classes with him]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Shouldn’t we do some group activity or something?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Activity out of nowhere?]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Like just go hang out somewhere]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: What, bros trip?]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Bros trips are the most fun by default? I don’t even go out with my gf that often]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Then go out with your gf, dude ;;]
[Heo Ji-hoon: I already celebrate all anniversaries and plan full date courses—what more? Gotta have some bros time too]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: But if I tag along, won’t she get suspicious?]
[Heo Ji-hoon: She doesn’t know you’re my classmate, so no worries]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Paragliding then?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Uh…… I don’t really need a paraglider though]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Ah screw it, fly solo then lol Just come hang on the weekend, quit nitpicking]
[Han Tae-hoon: Paragliding outta nowhere? I’m down…… Where to?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Lots of spots in Danyang, Chungbuk—let’s go there]
[Han Tae-hoon: Lodging?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: My parents run a pension there, so no lodging fee]
[Han Tae-hoon: Big bro!]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Yo, Yoon Seo-hyun]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Yeah?]
[Heo Ji-hoon: Gotta be at that level to deserve our praise. So Han-gyeol bro, want me to fan you or something?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: I’ll gladly take it]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Y’all are such try-hards]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: You coming too, Min-hyuk?]
[Jo Min-hyuk: Were you gonna leave me out?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Lol nah]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: While you guys paraglide, I’ll just spread my wings and chill up high]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Can the head of a national agency really slack off like that? Our taxes are melting?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: My existence alone keeps mutants in check—shouldn’t that cover it?]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Suddenly so jealous?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Jealous? Mutate then lol]
[Yoo Han-gyeol: Who wants to push him off a cliff?]
At Yoo Han-gyeol’s last message, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.