Chapter 51: Instead of Taking Photos, Come to My Gym
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: Instead of Taking Photos, Come to My Gym
Yeong-eun, who had been sitting with her legs crossed, switched them.
Her short skirt rode up slightly, revealing a glimpse of her thighs. The hem teased a line that was dangerously close to showing her underwear.
Whoa.
My eyes almost wandered instinctively.
Snapping out of it, I looked at Yeong-eun. She was wearing a faint smile, looking like a general who had just won the opening skirmish.
She’s not just trying to seduce me.
She simply knew how to use her charms as a weapon.
"Why the change of heart? Yesterday at school, you looked absolutely disgusted at the thought of working with me."
Yeong-eun crossed her arms, wearing the smile of a victor. It was as if she had known all along that I would come back.
"Is it the money after all? Or is there some other reason?"
I shook my head at her sarcastic tone.
"I won't beat around the bush."
Being indirect wasn't my style, and there was nothing to be gained from it anyway.
"My condition is simple."
I held up three fingers.
"Three times."
Yeong-eun’s face contorted for a moment. A crack appeared in the composure she had been feigning. Did she take that the wrong way?
"You just need to receive PT from me."
"What?"
The distortion on Yeong-eun’s face smoothed out instantly.
"Three PT sessions. That is my condition."
"..."
"I’ll be flexible with the scheduling. If you agree to three sessions, I’ll work with you."
"Is that... all?"
My proposal seemed to have come as quite a shock. It wasn't exactly a common offer. Who would think to ask someone to take PT sessions in exchange for a photoshoot?
"Yes. That’s everything. Did you expect me to suggest something else?"
"...No."
I planned to recruit her as a regular member of my gym eventually, but there was no need to mention that yet. I didn't intend to rely solely on the power of hypnosis and the System.
Before meeting Yeong-eun, I had calculated the probability of recruiting her using the posters.
A mere 9%.
Even with the probability boost from the posters and the advantage of her high opinion of my skills, the chance of making her an official member was only 9%. A success rate of nine out of a hundred attempts.
The problem was...
I only have three chances left.
I had to maximize my odds within those three opportunities. That was why I came up with this.
I would invite Yeong-eun to my gym. Once she was inside, I’d have her participate as a temporary member. I didn't expect to make her an official member in one go. I would recruit her step by step.
Raising that abysmal probability by any means necessary—that was my primary goal for recruiting Yeong-eun.
That was why I used the photoshoot as bait for this deal. Yeong-eun needed me. And I needed her to protect the other members I had worked so hard to gain. We needed to join forces for our mutual benefit.
It was a win-win trade, wasn't it?
"Of course, I’ll still accept the fee you offered."
I had no intention of being a pushover and lowering the price she had already set. If she was offering, I was taking.
"..."
Yeong-eun didn't answer immediately, simply staring at me.
"PT... Are you working as a trainer separately?"
"Yes. I’m currently looking after Ye-seul as well."
"Ho..."
Yeong-eun’s gaze shifted to Ye-seul. Ye-seul nodded vigorously.
"Jae-ho senior is the best trainer! I’ve lost so much flab since I started getting PT from him! It’s really effective!"
At Ye-seul’s high praise, Yeong-eun scanned her body.
"It certainly looks that way. You have a great figure, and it’s clear you’ve been taking care of yourself."
Even to Yeong-eun’s eyes, Ye-seul’s body was remarkably well-balanced.
This man built a body like that?
Of course, Jae-ho’s own physique was impressive. His broad shoulders and the fine muscles filling out his forearms beneath his short sleeves were hard to miss. She had thought he was just a slightly fit nerd, but a trainer too?
He was like an onion; the more she peeled, the more there was to discover.
"You have many talents, Jae-ho. A brilliant student at Usan University’s Computer Engineering department, a photographer, and a fitness trainer. Is there anything else I don't know about?"
"Probably not."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"What will it be?"
"Did I ever really have a choice in this deal?"
Yeong-eun leaned forward slightly as she continued.
"You rejected my offer once, but I’m still interested in your photography. My pride took a bit of a hit, but I’m not the type to kick out someone I need."
"Is that so?"
"In exchange, I have a condition of my own."
"What is it?"
"Take photos of me here on set."
"Photos of you, Yeong-eun?"
"Yes. I want you to show me your skills. Show me how you can express who I am."
It wasn't a difficult condition.
"What do you want me to do?"
The corners of Yeong-eun’s mouth curled upward.
*
I walked around the set holding my iPhone. I wondered if this was really okay, but...
"If Yeong-eun said to do it, it should be fine."
The producer directing the scene said it wouldn't be a problem.
"However, you must not leak these photos to the outside world under any circumstances."
The producer, who introduced himself as Kim PD, gave me a stern warning.
"Of course."
Taking photos on set was just a means to get Yeong-eun to my gym; I had no intention of making money off them.
"Don't make a single sound while we're filming."
After receiving an additional warning from the assistant director, I took my place in a corner of the set. Watching Yeong-eun check her script one last time in front of the camera, I thought about the challenge she had given me.
‘Take photos of me while I’m acting.’
She had also added extra conditions:
She added that as long as I achieved those two things, she didn't care what angles I used. This was why I was wandering around the set with a phone in my hand.
"I can't believe I get to see Yeong-eun senior’s acting from this close. It’s all thanks to you, Oppa."
Ye-seul watched the set from beside me with eyes full of awe. She didn't even blink, as if trying to burn every second into her memory. Even she flinched occasionally when Yeong-eun turned sharp.
"Director, the screen is too dark. I think the lighting is too weak."
"No matter how well I act, if my face looks like this... Haa, forget it. What was I even expecting?"
Yeong-eun’s prickly voice chilled the atmosphere on set, but it seemed Ye-seul’s rose-tinted glasses hadn't fallen off just yet.
Ye-seul was one thing, but...
I have to do my job.
I raised my phone and framed Yeong-eun in the shot. Depending on how you directed the subject through the lens, the image could change drastically. Since I had to create the specific image the client wanted today, I expected the difficulty to be higher than usual.
Let’s take it slow.
While I was contemplating how to express Yeong-eun...
"Standby! Action!"
The shoot began. The moment the camera started rolling, the Yeong-eun who had been making everyone around her uncomfortable vanished.
"Have you been waiting here all this time?"
Hwa-rin, the character Yeong-eun was playing, stood in her place. She wasn't the stubborn heiress I always saw, nor the arrogant top actress full of self-importance. There stood Hwa-rin, a fresh graduate just entering the workforce.
Impressive.
An actress was an actress after all. In that brief moment, she immersed herself in her emotions and the character, carrying out her performance. I captured the Yeong-eun-turned-Hwa-rin with my camera.
I found the composition. Visualizing the image that would suit Hwa-rin best, I pressed the shutter at the perfect moment.
Click.
How could I satisfy all of Yeong-eun’s conditions? This single photo contained the answer to my dilemma.
The Hwa-rin depicted in the photo held worry, compassion, and gratitude for the man who had waited for her outside in the sweltering heat without any air conditioning.
A warm gaze. A faint smile that was barely there. The iced coffee she held out contained all of Hwa-rin’s concern for the man. It was a face the usual Yeong-eun would never make.
"Got it," I whispered softly.
Even I was impressed by the version of Yeong-eun captured in the photo.
Is it really this good?
My skills certainly weren't at this level when I first learned photography. It was the same when I photographed Ye-seul, and it was the same now. A surge of confidence welled up within me, validating my choices.
Will it look good if I shoot it like this? No, this seems off...
That kind of hesitation had vanished. To think that one change could make such a difference.
It’s all thanks to the gym.
It was the confidence I had gained through the gym. Although the gym still needed a lot of expansion, I was certain of one thing: I could make it even bigger in the future.
Just as I was about to take the next photo with renewed conviction...
"I can't do this."
Hwa-rin reverted back to Yeong-eun.
*
In the end, I only took one photo. Yeong-eun gave up on her acting before I could even set up another composition. Consequently, the shoot ended prematurely, and Yeong-eun stepped away from the camera.
"Haa, how annoying."
My eyes met Yeong-eun’s.
"Well? Did you get anything good?"
"I only managed to take one. Do you still want to see it?"
"Only one... I guess there wasn't much to photograph."
"Because your acting kept getting interrupted."
It seemed she couldn't stay focused on her acting for even thirty seconds. Except for the very beginning, her emotions weren't coming through properly.
"Well, that’s none of your business. Let me see it. I want to see what you took."
At her request, I handed her the phone.
Just one. The moment Yeong-eun saw the photo of Hwa-rin from the first take, her eyes widened.
"You... you took this? Just now?"
"Yes. It was quite difficult. This was the only one worth keeping."
"Ha, this is... truly..."
The corners of Yeong-eun’s mouth twitched as she looked at the photo. She couldn't take her eyes off the screen. It was as if she was being sucked into the image.
After admiring her own reflection in the photo, Yeong-eun asked in a surprised voice, "You’re saying you took this with a phone camera?"
"Yes."
"And you just took it?"
"That’s right."
Yeong-eun saw it. A photo where the focus was entirely on her. It was a shot that captured the most exquisite moment of the emotions she had summoned while acting. The image of Hwa-rin, experiencing pure love, was right there in the photo.
I made a face like that?
She hadn't known. She had always assumed she was good at acting because other people told her so. What kind of expressions she made, how she handled her gaze, how she expressed her emotions—she had never felt from a video what she was feeling now from this single photograph.
Is this kind of expression possible through a photo alone?
It wasn't something that could be achieved simply by having a good model. If it were just about the model, she should have felt this same thrill many times before.
"How is it?"
"...It’s truly amazing."
Pure admiration. Yeong-eun openly showed the emotions she felt while looking at Jae-ho’s photo. And then she became curious—would others feel the same way she did?
"Kim PD! Come over here for a second."
"What is it?"
"Look at this."
She held out Jae-ho’s phone to Kim PD, the producer of Invincible Youth.
"What’s all the fuss... What is this?"
Kim PD’s voice, which had been masking his annoyance, turned dead serious. He was a man who had made his living behind a camera for over a decade. The moment he saw Yeong-eun in the photo, his eyes went wide. His pupils were so dilated they formed perfect circles.
And for good reason. The Yeong-eun in the photo was breathtakingly beautiful. Even Kim PD, who was sick of looking at her and fed up with her personality, felt his heart sway for a moment!
Why? Because the person in the photo wasn't Yeong-eun! It was Hwa-rin. The heroine of the drama he was pouring his soul into was right there in that photo.
"Who took this photo?"
"I knew you'd recognize it."
Who was it? Did Yeong-eun bring a new camera team? But she hadn't brought anyone else. There was only one person who had come by invitation.
Wait, could it be?
Suddenly, Kim PD’s head whipped around. He looked at Jae-ho, who was standing there blankly.
"Did... did you take this?"
"Yes."
"Where do you work... No, I’m Kim Dong-ju, a PD at WBS. Here is my card... Are you working in photography?"
Judging by the photo, he had expected a seasoned veteran, but the man looked like he had just entered society. But what did his age matter? The PD thrust his business card toward Jae-ho.
"He’s a student at Usan University."
"A photography major?"
"Computer Engineering."
Yeong-eun answered on Jae-ho’s behalf.
"Do you have any experience on sets?" Kim PD asked, looking at Jae-ho.
Jae-ho shook his head.
"No. I just learned a bit a long time ago."
Kim PD’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
"Then, would you be interested in working in this industry? Actually, we’re looking to hire someone at WBS specifically for posters and still photography..."
His gaze, which had been indifferent earlier, turned sharp. It was like a predator eyeing its prey. No, it was the look of a professor who had just spotted a promising graduate student.
Ah, save me.
"I’m sorry, but he’s already under contract with me," Yeong-eun said, blocking the excited Kim PD.
"Right?"
She was certain now. She had to work with Jae-ho, no matter what.
*
I barely managed to shake off the PD’s pleas to shoot their posters.
‘Let’s work together later. You just need to do the posters. We’ll provide the studio and everything.’
I left with his business card and a vague promise.
"Phew, that was exhausting."
The reaction to Yeong-eun’s photo was intense. I knew it turned out well, but was it really that good? I looked at the photo of Yeong-eun—no, Hwa-rin.
"It did turn out well."
I checked a few other photos I had taken on set. There was one of Ye-seul and Yeong-eun together. Ye-seul, who had been begging for a selfie with her idol, had used my phone to take it.
The reason she used my phone?
‘Senior, you’re so good at photography. Wouldn't the camera of someone who’s good at it take the best pictures?’
Ye-seul, satisfied with meeting her idol, had headed home.
"So this is your gym, Jae-ho?"
Yeong-eun had come to my place. To be precise, to the gym.
Now, the workout begins.