Chapter 61: Special Ability Draw!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: Special Ability Draw!
“Fine.”
Yeong-eun, who had been looking at me as if I were being ridiculous, finally nodded.
[Quest Successful.]
[Yoo Yeong-eun has been registered as an official member.]
[Reward obtained.]
I did it.
I had been worried about what would happen if I failed, but somehow, I pulled it off.
“Whew.”
I let out a sigh of relief, my heart finally settling.
“But you know you have to take responsibility, right?”
Responsibility?
“Once I start coming here regularly, I won't be able to go anywhere else. If I’m going to do this, I should receive focused training in one place.”
Ah, so that’s what she meant.
Yeong-eun, who had been staring at me intently, poked me in the chest.
“So you’d better take good care of me. Maintaining a body like this isn't easy, you know.”
“Then shall we start by restructuring your diet?”
“That’s a bit…”
At the mention of a diet, Yeong-eun avoided my gaze.
It seemed she really loved her food.
“Understood. I won’t force a diet on you. Instead…”
“Instead?”
“Even on days you don’t have PT, you must exercise consistently at home.”
“That’s a given. I’ll be using the gym every day anyway.”
“For the record, the exercises I taught you today should only be done at home or here at our gym.”
“I know that too. You’re saying that because they’re embarrassing to do in front of people, right? Do you think I’m a child? Of course I know that.”
It seemed to have worked perfectly, so I decided to leave it at that.
“Then leave your gym wear here after you change.”
“That’s a bit embarrassing.”
“This is all included in the membership fee.”
It would be trouble if the hypnosis wore off again because I let her take it with her.
From now on, I could never let items from this place leave the premises.
If they had to go out, it would only be under my strict control.
I couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice.
“Alright. But Jae-ho.”
“Yes?”
What now?
Perhaps because the hypnosis had broken before, my heart skipped a beat every time she opened her mouth.
“It’s cheaper than I thought.”
“Ahem, well, I’m still in the learning phase myself.”
“It’s not a bad thing for me, but… I think you could charge a bit more. It hurts my pride to think that the person who satisfied me, of all people, is charging such a low price.”
Ahem, it’s great that you’re acknowledging me.
But if I charge that much, no other customers will come.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Anyway, today was great too. Keep it up. I’m looking forward to the photoshoot.”
Having finished her piece, Yeong-eun headed into the changing room.
In the meantime, I…
“When am I going to clean all this up?”
I muttered to myself as I looked at the barbell and the floor, which were smeared with Yeong-eun’s fluids.
Cleaning this up was going to be a chore in itself.
*
[Success Reward – Special Random Trait (B~S)]
After sending Yoo Yeong-eun home, I checked the reward for registering her as an official member.
A square delivery box with a question mark on it.
The real reward for this quest was hidden inside.
A Special Random Trait.
This was much better than the previous draws.
The minimum rank was B.
The maximum was S.
Even a B-rank trait was quite good.
It was something that would normally cost 10,000 SP to purchase.
And that was the minimum.
It just went to show how difficult the quest to cast Yoo Yeong-eun had been.
A guaranteed reward for a difficult task.
‘It should be at least this much.’
It was a quest with a high failure rate and a penalty that couldn't be ignored.
After clearing such a quest safely, I wouldn't be able to stand it if the reward was just mediocre.
“Ideally, I’d like an A-rank or higher.”
That would make it feel truly worthwhile.
I opened the random box immediately.
“Let’s go!”
Riiip!
As I tore off the tape, light began to pour from the box.
The light scattered in all directions.
Flash!
The color and brightness intensified.
The blue light grew brighter and brighter until…
‘Golden?’
Ta-da! Da-da-da-da!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
A fanfare played along with exploding crackers.
Golden light enveloped me.
It was gold!
The color used in countless games when you obtain the highest tier reward.
The symbol of wealth!
‘S-rank!’
I had beaten the extreme odds and obtained an S-rank.
Soon, an icon appeared.
Just as I expected.
[You have acquired an S-rank trait.]
[Golden Ratio]
[You possess a perfect ratio gifted by the gods. Even if you are not tall, do not worry. Your proportions will be better than anyone else's.]
Is this… good?
The trait from the box wasn't related to my face, stamina, or voice.
Proportions.
What kind of difference would that make?
I stood in front of the mirror to check.
My height was 175cm, slightly taller than average.
It wasn't short, but it wasn't tall enough to draw people's attention either.
But the thing was…
“Did my legs get longer?”
My face seemed a bit smaller too.
And my shoulders seemed to have squared off…
It had definitely changed.
Of course, my shoulders had broadened a bit after gaining muscle from the A-rank trait, Sturdy and Solid Body.
‘But it wasn't to this extent.’
Looking at my body in the full-length mirror—a body that would never produce a cringeworthy photo—I realized the greatness of an S-rank trait.
“So this is… S-rank.”
If I had gotten an S-rank trait related to my face, I could have swept the entertainment industry with that alone.
It was a bit of a shame I wasn't taller.
If I were over 180cm, I could have debuted as a model right away.
Even though I was just wearing gym wear, I could feel how good the fit was.
“Nice.”
I admired my body, transformed by the S-rank Golden Ratio, and took several selfies.
There was a literal model in the camera.
Click. Click.
The proportions were insane. Truly insane.
*
Miju felt a tightness in her chest.
“It can’t be, right? Surely not…”
Her eyes were glued to the scandal article about Yoo Yeong-eun in Dream Daily.
A civilian having a secret tryst with Yoo Yeong-eun.
Even with the light mosaic, anyone could tell it was Choi Jae-ho.
She couldn't describe how shocked she had been when she first saw the article.
After all, it hadn't been long since she had spent her first night with him.
The night they spent together after he chased away her stalker, Joo Yeon-seok, and she told him she was scared.
She had shared her body with Jae-ho, and that passionate night had made her realize her love was sincere.
So she had gone to see him.
To ask him if the article was true.
He said it wasn't.
He said it absolutely wasn't true.
At that time, Yeong-eun had come to Jae-ho’s house and said she would release a rebuttal article.
She also said she wasn't dating Jae-ho.
She claimed she had only sought him out to hire a photographer who was good at taking pictures.
She said they had met by chance at school.
‘She was beautiful.’
Miju herself was considered a "goddess" at school.
She wasn't conceited about her looks, but she objectively thought she had a pretty face.
But Yeong-eun was different.
The moment Miju saw her, her aura was on another level, and it was as if her face was glowing.
As expected of an actress.
‘She said she wasn't dating Jae-ho oppa, but…’
You never know.
They say there’s no such thing as just friends between a man and a woman.
‘And Jae-ho oppa is handsome.’
He was a charming man.
A man with a mysterious charm that kept drawing one's eyes to him.
Charming enough that even a top star like Yeong-eun could develop feelings for him.
If.
If by some slim chance Yeong-eun developed feelings for Jae-ho and tried to seduce him…
‘Could I beat a woman like her?’
Miju looked at her body in the mirror.
Her body line was good, even if it fell short of Yeong-eun’s. She had a bit of belly fat, but she had lost some recently, and she had breasts of a size she was confident wouldn't lose to anyone.
Miju cautiously struck a pose in front of the mirror.
A pose where she lifted her arms to tie her hair, exposing her armpits and neckline.
A pose where she pushed her breasts together to emphasize her greatest asset.
A pose where she raised her arms high so her short T-shirt rode up, slightly revealing her stomach and underboob.
“Ooh, woo…?”
Awkwardly, she tried to strike seductive poses while making suggestive sounds.
‘Would this be enough?’
No.
She couldn't win.
She couldn't beat that woman with such awkward poses or acting.
‘I’m lacking so much…’
She wasn't as beautiful, tall, or famous as Yeong-eun.
Yeong-eun, a third-generation chaebol, even had more money than her.
There wasn't a single thing she could win at.
If she had to find something, it was that they went to the same school and maybe her breast size?
And the fact that she was younger.
“Can I win?”
Her confidence suddenly plummeted.
They had spent a night together, but weren't they still just "male and female friends" who hadn't confessed to each other?
Much closer than friends, but a relationship that hadn't been confirmed as lovers.
‘Sh-should I confess first?’
Before someone else snatched him away.
Miju tried to strike another pose.
Like a model, she put one hand on her hip and twisted her waist slightly, contorting her body. Then, she poked her tongue out slightly to appeal with cuteness.
It seemed okay, in its own way?
“Miju, what are you doing?”
Ye-seul’s voice came from beside her.
She was standing blankly by the open door of Miju’s studio apartment.
How long had she been there?
Did she see everything?
All sorts of thoughts raced through Miju's head.
Poof!
Her face turned beet red.
It heated up like a kettle boiling water.
“Wh-what? Wh-when did you get here?”
“Since you started striking those weird poses…”
So she saw everything from the beginning.
Was there a hole she could crawl into?
She wanted to hide away in a world where no one else existed.
“Hehe, you’re cute. Were you practicing?”
Ye-seul giggled as she walked into the room.
“Pr-practicing what?”
Miju’s pupils darted around wildly.
To Ye-seul, the sight of her friend sweating and feigning innocence was just adorable.
“You like Jae-ho oppa, don’t you?”
Miju’s pupils shook even more violently.
“H-h-how did you kno— No, I don’t?”
“Then you don’t like him?”
“W-well, it’s not that I don’t like him.”
“So you do like him. Figures.”
Realizing she couldn't hide it, Miju finally nodded.
Ye-seul smiled brightly at her.
Miju had insisted she didn't like him last time.
Even though it was obvious to anyone that she did.
“Since when did you like him?”
“…I don’t know. Just, somehow…”
Ye-seul smiled as she watched her embarrassed friend.
She was such an innocent girl.
A girl as bright as the sun.
But at the same time, she was a rival.
‘Well, maybe not a rival.’
At some point, feelings for Jae-ho had begun to sprout within Ye-seul as well.
Ye-seul had also begun to feel an attraction to him, though she wasn't sure why.
She couldn't be certain what those feelings were rooted in yet, but if this really was a romantic attraction toward Jae-ho…
‘I have no intention of stepping aside.’
She felt a pang of guilt for not telling Miju, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
“It’s because of that article, right?”
“Wh-what?”
“The scandal with that actress, Yoo Yeong-eun.”
“Ah, yeah…”
“Don’t worry too much. If Senior Jae-ho said it’s not true, then it’s not. He’s not the type of person to lie.”
Seeing Miju feel relieved at those words, how could Ye-seul tell her the truth?
She knew well that she was the only one who could comfort her friend, who was feeling down because of love.
“What do you like about Senior Jae-ho?”
“I l-like how he gives his all to his work.”
“True, he is serious about his work. Like when he teaches us at the gym.”
The two women chatted endlessly about Jae-ho.
The tension that had gripped Miju’s face because of him had vanished, replaced by a comfortable expression.
‘It’ll be okay if I tell her a little later, right?’
Ye-seul reassured herself.