Chapter 61: Promising Mission (1)

Part 1

A heavy silence settled in the fitting room, so oppressive it was almost unbearable. For a moment, I wondered if I was the only one feeling it, but I pushed the thought aside. Surely, Hyunji must feel awkward too, hesitant to break the silence in this situation. Feeling her warmth close by, I steeled myself.

What I needed was courage. We were both trembling with embarrassment, so as the one who caused this, I had to step up and break the tension.

“Uh… hey,” I ventured softly.

Her grip tightened, inexplicably stronger. Wait. This is dangerous. Was she not just embarrassed but genuinely worried about me?

“It’s okay… I’m fine…” I said.

This was bad. A sense of crisis rang in my head like an alarm. I’d lost control of my emotions again, creating a mess. Her shampoo’s scent filled the air as I scrambled for a way to defuse this, but no brilliant ideas came.

Suddenly, I resented the silent people outside. Shouldn’t someone barge in by now, sensing something’s off? Come on, someone break this awkwardness! After all that chaos, how was I supposed to say, “I’m fine, let’s get to work”?

“I’m… really okay now…” I managed.

The shameless words stumbled out, and my face burned with embarrassment. It felt like my body’s thermostat was broken. Why was I so embarrassed all the time?

“No… you don’t have to push yourself…” Hyunji replied.

But, thankfully or not, the mortifying feeling didn’t last long. Her voice, heavy with concern, made my burning face freeze with confusion. Her reaction was heavier than I’d expected.

“No, really, I’m fine,” I insisted.

The embarrassment faded, replaced by unease. I didn’t know what she’d heard or what she thought of me, but her response made one thing clear:

She thought I was in a far more fragile state than I realized—so much so that embarrassment or time didn’t matter to her.

“Hyun… Hyunji-ssi?” I stammered.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay! You can lean on me as much as you need!” she said.

“No, I mean—”

I didn’t know how much time we’d wasted. Judging by the satisfied look on Hyunji’s face when she finally accepted my “I’m okay,” it must’ve taken a while.

Thankfully, the outfit hadn’t wrinkled or suffered any mishaps.

Part 2

“…Nothing happened, right?” Seokyoon asked.

“Just a small issue with the outfit,” I replied.

No one seemed to have overheard my conversation with Hyunji, but the three waiting in the lounge didn’t seem to buy my flimsy lie. At least I hadn’t cried—that would’ve been a disaster. Swollen eyes would’ve been obvious, not to mention a problem for makeup.

“Seriously, Yoonseo-ssi, your skin was almost on full display~ You need to wear it properly,” Hyunji teased.

“Ugh… I didn’t expect it to slip like that. Haha… really, if I hadn’t called you, it would’ve been a mess,” I said.

Still, I couldn’t let the weird vibe linger. We’d be together for a while, so I wanted to smooth over any awkwardness. The lie we’d hastily concocted in the fitting room—“there was a problem with the outfit”—was our cover.

Cough!? Bonfire choked.

It was an impromptu lie born from, “If we go out like this, it’ll be awkward—what do we do?” Its truthfulness aside, it worked like a charm. Bonfire, who’d been sipping water and chuckling, suddenly coughed, turning away. Noticing the others’ startled glances, I subtly raised the corner of my mouth.

Good. Let’s bury it like this. Scratching my cheek, I let out a sheepish laugh, praying it looked natural.

“Gentlemen? Why’re you looking away? What’s on your minds that you can’t meet my eyes?” Hyunji teased.

“N-No, nothing special,” Homin stammered.

“It suits you so well, you know. You might regret not getting a good look before makeup!” she added.

Catching Seokyoon’s glance, I flashed a reassuring smile. His wide-eyed shock, quickly averted, was almost comical, making me chuckle. Your ears are red—what’re you thinking, you perv?

“Uh… we’ve got a schedule. Shouldn’t we stop joking and get started?” Seokyoon said.

“You’re the photographer, and you can’t even look at the model’s face properly?” I teased.

“It’s because you said something weird!” he protested.

“Weird? How far did your imagination go? Look, Yoonseo-ssi, this guy’s dangerous despite how he looks!” Hyunji chimed in.

“Hey, seriously!” Seokyoon snapped.

Amid the brief commotion, I smiled quietly, making a silent resolve.

Accept it slowly. Move forward bit by bit. Instead of what I shouldn’t do, focus on what’s expected, what’s natural.

Love, marriage, or romance felt too distant. For now, I’d focus on accepting my changed self.

As I settled into a chair, Hyunji’s smiling face slid closer, as if she’d been waiting for the banter to end.

“Ready to start?” she asked.

Part 3

“Alright~ Hello, everyone! I mentioned last stream we’d go live earlier than usual today, right?” Bonfire’s voice rang out.

I flinched at the sudden sound. Luckily, Hyunji was preparing makeup tools, so my makeup didn’t smudge. In the corner of my vision, Seokyoon’s eyes sparkled with an expression he never showed. Hey, my brother’s a celebrity too—why don’t you react like that for Sanghyeon?

“We planned to stream after the shoot, but with permission from the staff and the person in question, we’re doing a talk-show vibe from the prep stage, with the condition that we avoid showing faces except for our guest. What? Why’re we live early? You guys complain even when I start early… ahem. With such a special person here, I’ll watch my language today,” Bonfire said.

So that’s his usual vibe. His familiar, warm tone matched his unique voice, hinting at the friendliness I’d only glimpsed earlier. Honestly, last time I watched his stream with the sound nearly off, I wondered how a drawing-focused stream kept viewers coming back. But his usual charisma was clearly stronger than I’d seen.

“What? First time hearing about the guest? How long have you skipped my streams? I’ve been talking about this for three days!” Bonfire said.

“Pfft,” I let out.

“Oh? You heard that? Jealous? You should be. You guys put me through so much, I deserve this treat…” he continued.

I glanced at him, stifling a laugh. He was looking at his phone, likely in selfie mode, chatting away. Hyunji, not wanting to interrupt, quietly left the lounge, holding up three fingers. Three minutes, maybe?

“Anyway! I’m not skilled enough to stream in high quality outdoors, so you might feel cheated, but I’m seeing a 4K-graphic illustration brought to life, smiling and breathing right here. I’ll enjoy it for you all. Wish she’d show her face soon, right?” Bonfire teased.

I wasn’t the only one seeing this brief lull as an opportunity. His blatant signals toward me felt like a now or never moment, so I nodded lightly. Talking or looking around during makeup was tough.

“Alright! Enough staring—here she is! After a long wait, it’s Cheungjeokun’s sister!” he announced.

With an exaggerated flourish, Bonfire handed me his phone, screen tilted downward to tease the audience until the last second. This is what a pro does, I thought, giggling mischievously. He’s so fun to watch—jealous!

“Hello~” I said.

Taking the phone, I turned the screen and greeted cautiously.