Chapter 64: Yeong-eun’s Photoshoot (feat. Miju & Ye-seul)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Yeong-eun’s Photoshoot (feat. Miju & Ye-seul)
“You’re here?”
When I arrived at the famous studio in Seoul, Yeong-eun, who had arrived first, greeted me.
“I heard you were coming, but I didn’t expect you all to show up together.”
Yeong-eun spoke while looking at Miju and Ye-seul, who were trailing behind me.
“Our paths overlapped on the way here.”
I had asked for Yeong-eun’s permission before bringing the two of them along. I’d asked if it would be alright to bring Miju and Ye-seul.
‘I don’t mind. It’s not just anyone; they’re your acquaintances, Jae-ho. You’re the main photographer for my pictorial, so of course I should grant a request like that.’
She had agreed much more readily than I expected.
Ye-seul, in particular, was over the moon. Even Miju, who had been grumbling a bit out of jealousy, had her eyes sparkling as she scanned the interior of the studio.
“Wow… this studio is huge. Wait, isn’t that actor Park Min-chul from Chocolate of Your Heart?”
“He’s so tall…”
“His face is like a sculpture. I didn’t know he was in the same agency as Yeong-eun.”
Miju and Ye-seul were whispering as they stared at the famous actor, then they caught my eye. Unlike Ye-seul, who continued to make a fuss while staring at Park Min-chul, Miju quickly looked away as if nothing was happening.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just looking around the studio.”
Miju feigned innocence, but I could see her eyes darting back and forth, trying to catch another glimpse of him.
I looked at Park Min-chul. He was a dazzling star who seemed to radiate light just by smiling.
‘He is… handsome.’
He was good-looking enough to make even another man feel a sting of jealousy.
“Do you want an autograph?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would I want an autograph… I don’t even like him that much,” Miju said, playing hard to get.
“Really? I was going to go get one for you.”
“…”
“Really?!” Ye-seul interjected, shouting.
Ye-seul was definitely serious about TV stars. I remembered her running around and collecting tons of autographs at the Invincible Youth filming site before. Even then, she couldn’t approach the male stars herself and had asked me to get them for her. She was definitely shy around the opposite sex.
“Senior, please. I don’t think I can even speak to him…”
“Alright.”
How could I ignore her when she was looking at me with sparkling eyes like a child wanting a gift? Even a woman called a goddess at school would have a line of men unable to resist that expression. I was one of them.
I was a bit nervous, but if things got awkward, I figured I could just ask Yeong-eun for help. That’s what connections are for, right?
“Um, excuse me, Oppa.”
As I started toward Park Min-chul, Miju grabbed my sleeve.
“Could you… could you get one for me too?”
She was finally being honest.
“Got it.”
I had intentionally offered to get the autographs first. She was so busy worrying about what I’d think that she couldn’t even look at the star she wanted to see. Of course, the fact that she was so conscious of me was cute, but I’d feel bad if she missed out because of me.
I approached Park Min-chul as he was about to head into makeup.
“Excuse me, sorry to bother you.”
“Oh, what can I do for you?”
“My younger sisters are fans, and they were wondering if they could get an autograph.”
“Ah, an autograph? But why didn’t they come over themselves?”
“They’re very shy.”
“Haha, there are people like that. What are their names?”
“If you could write them for Kang Mi-ju and Hwang Ye-seul… wait a second.”
I waved at the two meerkats who were watching me with faces full of curiosity. I gestured for them to come over. Understanding immediately, the two of them scurried over and received their autographs from Park Min-chul.
As a bit of fan service, Park Min-chul even took selfies with Miju and Ye-seul. He had a good personality.
“Thank you!”
Miju and Ye-seul bowed deeply in gratitude.
“It’s nothing. By the way…”
Park Min-chul turned his gaze toward me.
“You must be the director who’s in charge of Yeong-eun’s shoot.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard about it recently. That the photographer working with Yeong-eun is very handsome.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed like a rumor was spreading somewhere. Who could it be?
“That’s why I recognized you immediately. You’re certainly as handsome as the rumors say.”
“You flatter me.”
“Have you ever thought about acting? I think you’d be quite good if you practiced your acting a bit.”
As we were chatting, a voice cut in.
“Who’s trying to take my photographer away behind my back?”
“Ah, Yeong-eun.”
“Even if you’re my senior, hijacking isn’t allowed.”
“Haha, hijacking? That’s a bit much.”
Wait.
“Hold on, Yeong-eun, was he your senior?”
“He’s a year younger than me, but Senior Min-chul has been active as a child actor since he was very young.”
“Ah… but how old are you, Min-chul?”
“I’m twenty-four. You can find that out instantly if you search on Naver, I can’t believe you didn’t know.”
“Our photographer doesn’t watch much TV. He probably didn’t even know my age.”
I felt a slight prick of guilt. I really didn’t know. I had just assumed she was older than me.
“Yeong-eun, you’re a year older than me?”
“See? He didn’t know. Do you want to start calling me Noona now?”
“Ahem.”
It was embarrassing. Since I didn’t watch TV, how was I supposed to know?
“Anyway, that’s enough. Senior Min-chul, you should get going. I need to start my shoot with the director.”
“It sounds like you’re telling me not to eye your prey, Yeong-eun.”
“Of course. You’ll get hurt if you try to snatch him.”
“Hmm. Jae-ho, if you ever think about acting, give me a call. I’m serious. Here’s my card.”
Park Min-chul handed me a jet-black business card.
“I’d like to get your number too, but it looks like a scary leopard is about to bite my throat, so I’ll be off. See you later. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
He made a cool exit. Well, I didn’t have a business card to give him anyway, so it didn’t matter.
Watching him leave, Yeong-eun’s eyebrows twitched, while Ye-seul’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“W-wow… I’ve never seen this in person! I heard it’s really hard to get actor Park Min-chul’s black business card.”
I looked at the card. It was a simple black card with text embossed in gold. It was minimalist, containing only his name and number. However, Yeong-eun and Ye-seul’s reactions were enough to tell me how valuable this object was.
“That’s unexpected. That picky senior actually took a liking to you, Jae-ho.”
“I wonder why.”
Seriously, why? It hadn’t even been ten minutes since we met. Maybe five minutes at most. What did he see in me…? Did I have some kind of aura that only acting geniuses could see?
Well, whatever. No point overthinking it. It might come in handy later.
I tucked the card into my wallet. Meanwhile, Yeong-eun turned to Miju.
“I guess you didn’t want my autograph?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t recall you asking for my autograph when we met last time.”
“Ah…”
Was she secretly holding a grudge about that? It wasn’t exactly a situation where she could have asked for an autograph back then. Faced with Yeong-eun’s charismatic pressure, Miju looked lost and stuck her tongue out nervously.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that. Let’s go take the photos.”
I stepped between them, fearing Miju might actually collapse if this went on any longer. Please, let’s just work. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
*
“Alright, that’s good.”
Click!
“Hold your posture just a bit straighter.”
Click!
Yeong-eun struck poses exactly as Jae-ho directed. Wearing a dress that exposed her midriff, she posed seductively. For a dress, the skirt was exceptionally short—the front was so daring it was almost on the verge of revealing her underwear.
On the other hand, the back trailed all the way down to her ankles, nearly touching the floor. It was a so-called "reverse dress." From behind, it looked like a normal gown, but from the front, the stomach and chest were cut out, and it was short enough to dangerously expose her Y-zone.
Jae-ho took shots with his usual Apple Phone and then with the studio’s high-end DSLR. He moved all around Yeong-eun, changing angles constantly.
Since it was an indoor studio shoot, the best part was not having to worry about natural light. With just a word to the staff, he could set the lighting exactly how he wanted.
Click, click.
“Alright, great. Shall we take a short break?”
At Jae-ho’s words, she nodded.
“Let’s see the results first.”
She could already see how she looked on the monitors set up in the studio, but she hadn’t seen the most important photos yet. The ones Jae-ho took with his Apple Phone. Those were the real deal. Jae-ho was exceptionally good with that phone. Today was likely no different.
“As expected…”
They were good. Although the resolution was lower than the DSLR, the atmosphere of the photos more than made up for it.
But there was something else.
‘Does my body look more curved…? Or is it just my imagination?’
Her body lines were much more pronounced than in previous photos. Her 11-line abs, which had been somewhat faint, were now vivid. Her glutes were lifted, boasting elasticity and health, and her thighs had mysteriously well-defined muscle lines.
It was a visible, significant change.
Yeong-eun was someone who never skipped a workout. Even if she had recently started a diet, could she really change this much in such a visible way?
‘I don’t think it’s just the camera.’
The curves and physique captured by the DSLR were also surprisingly transformed—enough to make anyone who saw them gasp in admiration. How?
‘Am I hallucinating?’
No, that couldn’t be it. This wasn’t the kind of thing that could be covered by photography skills alone. If that was the case, then…
She thought back to Jae-ho’s training. It had been a bit strange, but his exercise methods and dietary management had been undeniably effective. It had to be because of that.
‘It’s so strange… Can a body change this much after just one lesson?’
That ridiculous exercise he called "cardio using a barbell." It had to be that…
‘Strange…’
Yeong-eun felt that something was off. She felt like she had experienced this sensation once before, but she brushed it off.
“Since you’re so beautiful, the results are coming out great.”
“Well, it’s all thanks to having a brilliant photographer.”
Yeong-eun suddenly became curious. Was it simply because the photographer was skilled that these lines were showing up? Or was it because she had truly changed through Jae-ho’s training?
‘Maybe it’s both.’
But did it really matter? Either way, it was an undeniable fact that better photos were being taken thanks to Jae-ho.
Suddenly, Ye-seul, who had come with Jae-ho, caught Yeong-eun’s eye.
‘That girl was captured beautifully too.’
She wondered if he could take photos like this with models other than herself.
“Do you two want to try taking some photos?”
“Huh?”
“You both look like you really want to try. What do you think?”
Both women were beautiful enough to surprise even Yeong-eun. At the same time, they each possessed a different kind of charm. If they became the models, Jae-ho would surely produce results with a different feel.
She wanted to see photos of other models taken by Jae-ho. The unedited ones.
Ye-seul and Miju looked at each other.