Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Burden of Fame
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Seo-ah started to feel her nerves fraying bit by bit.
Could it be that she hadn't expected this?
She could sense the gazes directed at her.
The stares had been constant ever since the photoshoot. Well, she had anticipated this much when she agreed to do it.
On top of that, with her own bloodline being one of the most famous Mutants out there right now, the attention was bound to amplify even more.
And the aura she exuded in the photoshoot itself was no different from any top model's... So, she had no choice but to go through university life under scrutiny far beyond anything she'd known before.
That brought her more stress than she could have imagined.
If only she could just turn off the attention, but the constant sidelong glances—whether subtle or not—were eating away at her nerves from every angle.
Normally, she would have brushed it off, thinking no one really cared about her anyway. But things had gone way past that point.
The looks from guys scheming to make a move on her, and the jealous glares from girls envious of those guys. Sure, there were friendly ones too... but mostly, that was the vibe.
She'd dealt with stares like this before.
According to her sister Seo-hyun, if you ignored the fact that Seo-ah was the younger sibling, she was pretty much the perfect girl.
But lately, those stares had grown increasingly blatant.
Blatant enough to grate on even her thick-skinned nerves.
Fine, whatever. Let's say she'd become a celebrity.
She'd get used to this kind of attention eventually.
That's what she thought...
But Seo-ah had underestimated the public's interest.
She had to admit it to herself.
People she would have passed by without a second thought, people who would have just glanced and thought, *Oh, she's pretty*—now they were staring and asking for autographs.
Autographs weren't all. Plenty of rude folks demanded photos too.
They were treating her like an actual celebrity.
It exhausted her to no end.
*Please, just cut it out already.*
Even students from other departments in the business school were showing up just to see her—who knew how the rumors had spread that far.
That was just how people were drawn to celebrities.
Seo-ah felt like she was losing her mind.
All she wanted was to study in peace at university, and she'd finally started keeping up with classes, but these interruptions were endless.
With exams approaching, even heading to the library meant running into people who spotted her as a "celebrity" and shoved autograph requests at her.
She couldn't just turn them away every time, so half in resignation, she scrawled her name and sent them off.
*Maybe I shouldn't have done that shoot.*
She never imagined a spur-of-the-moment decision out of curiosity would snowball into this avalanche burying her.
Seo-ah let out a sigh.
Seeing her like that, her classmate Hye-jin asked worriedly.
"Are you okay?"
"......No."
"Aigoo, look at them swarming you now that you're famous..."
"Tell me about it."
"Watching you, it seems like half-baked fame is the most headache-inducing thing ever."
"Exactly."
"Whatcha gonna do?"
"Dunno. For now... I guess just wait it out. People's interest is like a pot on the boil—it flares up fast but cools just as quick."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Just play it cool, and it'll be fine."
That was the approach Seo-ah chose.
Getting snippy in a situation like this would only make things messy in all sorts of ways.
Those gazes were a surveillance net watching her every move, their mouths megaphones broadcasting what they saw, and their hands daggers ready to tear into her heart.
She might be bold, but in the end, she was just one college student. She knew that if that attention turned malicious, she'd be the one suffering.
The moment she put her true self and her dreams out there for others to see, this was something she had to steel herself for.
With that in mind, she endured.
* * *
The title had changed from Agency Director to Bureau Chief, but our work stayed the same.
Meaning... I didn't really have much to do. I could just go back to being a regular college student.
That was supposed to be the plan...
But what the hell was with that zombie over there?
"Uuughhh..."
It had been ages since I'd heard Yoon Seo-ah make a sound like that. Back when she was cramming for exams all day, maybe.
"Something up?"
"......Yeah."
Yet she wasn't avoiding me, so it seemed like she had something to talk about.
She had these moments sometimes, subtle like that. And when she did, it usually meant a serious conversation was coming, so I dropped the teasing.
"What is it? Follow-up from that thing last time?"
"Follow-up...? Nah, it's not quite that..."
"Spit it out clearly. What exactly happened?"
"Well..."
She told me what had been going on. The gist was simple.
Fame had made everything impossible.
The knife-sharp stares from everyone were wearing her down.
...I got the feeling.
I'd grown numb to that kind of attention after becoming a Dragon, but for her, it must have been overwhelming pressure.
Even glances she used to ignore would become unbearable the moment she realized they were aimed at her.
I let out a sigh. *Knew this would happen.*
Fame was a hassle. A hassle you couldn't even snap at carelessly.
I was working to improve Mutant perceptions, and with this big hat on my head, I could handle it...
But for her, getting dragged into it out of nowhere? Bound to give her a headache.
Sure, accepting the modeling gig had been her giving in to a bit of lingering ambition... but even that tiny ambition had landed her in a pretty harsh spot.
"How do you deal with something like this?"
"What can you do? Just tough it out. Or get used to it."
"You say it like it's easy."
"Well, I'm a Dragon, so I'm pretty oblivious to that stuff now. Or just get shameless about it."
"Shameless? Then random people online would tear me apart. You're only fine because you're strong, sis..."
"Or sell me out. You think anyone's bold enough to mess with you when I'm around?"
"But that'd just put you in a tough spot."
I snorted at her words. What the hell?
Since when did she worry about me like that?
"Hey, since when do you worry about me? Just have me tell the press to shut their traps once, and it's done."
"......Huh?"
"Tell them to back off. Power isn't just with the public. They can shout through megaphones or stab with keyboards all they want—it won't touch you."
"But even so..."
"You're letting it slide too much. Go back to your old stance. You're the sister of the monster who could turn Seoul into a sea of fire with one breath. If you don't like it, say no. You tell me no all the time—why can't you say it to them?"
"......Think I could?"
"You can. Want the truth? I was iffy at first too. But now? I can say it flat out: human weapons don't work on me. Even a nuke, I'd walk away fine."
"Whoa, why'd the convo jump there?"
"Because you're putting up with it like an idiot. Say no if you don't like it. The public isn't stupid—they'll figure out what happens if they mess with you. Spotlights'll turn on the jerks bothering you. Or if you want, I can yap to some higher-ups."
At my words, she pressed her temples like she had a headache. After all that, this reaction?
"That's exactly why I'm holding back—the scale getting too big. I just wanna go to school like before."
"The moment you said yes to Jin-ha's offer, 'like before' was off the table. Better get that straight. I told you when my photoshoot dropped."
"I didn't think it was a big deal then..."
"That attention won't fade easy. You're my sister, and you nailed that shoot. People are drawn to that stuff."
"Haa..."
"Or just switch career paths altogether."
"Switch paths?"
"Yeah. You haven't even decided what to do with a business degree anyway, right? You just picked it 'cause it looked good and your grades fit."
"W-Well, yeah..."
"If you're not really into business, wouldn't it make sense to lean into your talents?"
"So what're you saying I should do?"
"You just said it yourself: half-baked fame is a pain. So... why not go all in?"
"All in?"
"Get properly famous. No half-measures."
"So, become a model?"
"Yeah. Exclusive for Jin-ha, even. Looks to me like she's not totally against it."
"......What about college?"
"Drop out. The department's already gearing up to make your life hell. Better cut ties with those types."
"You're one to talk—you hated dropping out so much you became Bureau Chief..."
"College matters to me. But not to you, right?"
She pondered my words deeply.
"Dropping out's a bit much... What about transferring to fashion design?"
"That works too."
"I'll think about it."
"Cool. In the meantime, stick with me. It'll be easier."
"......Okay."
"Autograph requests or whatever, your expert TA here's got it covered. You just hang by my side and slip away."
"......Thanks."
"Wow, hearing you say thanks to me? It's been forever."
"Ugh, seriously. Someone thanks you for once..."
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