Free Web Novel“Hey. Don’t get scared. It’s actually a good sign. Every time that noona acted like she was out of her mind, the best results came out. Just don’t panic.”
I know. I was one of her subscribers.
Underneath that face, she’s actually surprisingly soft-hearted, the more you look.
There was no need to say that out loud to Joo Junseo, who was explaining it anyway.
“I really was nervous, but thank you. As expected of Joo Junseo. Best senior.”
As if she couldn’t hear a single word we were saying, Ryu Risa remained frozen in place. For a moment—
“AH!!! My head!!!”
“Move this! Part this halfway and sweep it back—who left this button undone? Natural sharpness only tastes good when it shows between clean clothes! Button it up!”
“Don’t choke me!!!”
Scooping wax into her hand, Ryu Risa grabbed Junseo’s hair and swept it back violently, then buttoned the top of his shirt like she was strangling him.
Not only that. She slapped a few thick silver rings onto his fingers—the ones sitting on the counter. She’d only made a few adjustments, but he already looked completely different.
“AAAH!!! THIS IS IT!!!”
Still clutching Junseo, she snapped her head toward me so fast I heard air slice.
“Come here! Stand next to him, quick!!!”
I hurried over to stand beside Junseo as she ordered. Covering her mouth, she muttered as if a vision hit her.
“Kingsman and the young lady... something I’ve treasured for years... but with a hint of hitman? Hmm...”
Seeing her practically trembling from excitement, Junseo leaned toward me again.
“Hey. Don’t get scared. Even if you wanna bolt, endure it. I’m telling you—this is a good sign. Every legendary shoot she’s done, she acted exactly like this.”
I know that too. At this point, I already have Ryu Risa’s tastes completely mapped out.
—I like natural, everyday looks too. Dailywear is fine,
but what really makes my heart race is bringing something from my mind into reality.
Right. Like a photo shoot! Conceptual pieces. That’s what I love.
Ryu Risa is an otaku.
“A clean black dress is good, or a crisp white shirt dress... ahh, why did you dye your hair red? Huh? If it were the black full bangs from <ParCheHi>... No no, wait. Actually, mint carpet might go even better with—ah...!”
Above her head, the Artistry stat was sparkling like crazy.
I spoke quietly.
“Am I accepted?” freewebnøvel.coɱ
At my question, Ryu Risa made a bewildered face like I’d asked something absurd.
“Of course!”
Roughly running her hand through her hair, she looked at me with excited eyes.
“Yeoreum, you’re... really smart, aren’t you? Yes. This kind of aesthetic sense—this sensibility—isn’t common. You’re right. In this entire showroom, the accessory that stands out the most is Junseo. Good choice.”
She patted my shoulder. That was it.
“I’m actually really busy but... I’ll take care of you far more than I planned. Really special treatment.”
My first awards ceremony carpet.
It felt like someone /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ was shouting that the Best Dresser spot belonged to Han Yeoreum.
* * *
“I like this one the most. Before the male lead gets fixed, tell them I’ll take it.”
“You already read all those scripts?”
“Yes. All of them. Without skipping a single one.”
Do Gyeoul tossed one of the scripts onto the passenger seat of the van.
Inside it was a character capable of absorbing the version of Pi Chaewon Yeoreum had shown.
“Ah, Gyeoul. Yes. Good thinking! Very good! Investors are mostly on board, and the director’s last project performed well. I knew you’d pick something smart.”
Her agency’s team leader beamed, thrilled that Do Gyeoul had chosen her next project.
“So, now what? We finally begin activities, right?”
“Yes. I want to start filming as soon as possible.”
Gyeoul recalled the character written in the script.
A guesthouse owner, inherited from her late grandmother. Prone to loneliness but naturally bright and lovable—like Hina, whom Yeoreum’s Chaewon portrayed in <ParCheHi>.
“To make sure I don’t lose this feel.”
But outwardly, she acts dignified and serious to maintain authority as the guesthouse’s proprietor.
The character was the exact opposite of Yeoreum’s Chaewon, and that was the point—steering interpretation away so no one would notice what she had copied.
At Gyeoul’s words, the team leader smiled widely. It was a perfect chance for image renewal after her child-actor days.
“Alright alright! Then let’s fire the starting signal at the Ruel Style Awards. Do Gyeoul’s grand return! Let’s get a clean, trendy headline out of it.”
Gyeoul nodded lazily.
“You can just make a brief introduction at the ceremony. Great visuals~.”
Aside from simple events, this would be her first proper public appearance.
Yet she felt no excitement or nerves.
The only thing that interested her now was one thing.
Han Yeoreum...
“Okay, you need your final fitting, so come by tonight or tomorrow morning.”
As she stepped into Ryu Risa’s stylist office, she heard someone on the phone. The youngest assistant, spotting Gyeoul, called out.
“Actress Do Gyeoul is here—!”
“I’ll hang up.”
Standing in front of a mannequin, Ryu Risa approached with a bright smile.
That expression...
Gyeoul had a habit of observing people’s quirks.
She needed to copy emotions she didn’t naturally feel—it was survival.
She stared holes into Ryu Risa.
“From here to here, pick whatever you like first. Personally—”
Ignoring her words, Gyeoul slowly shifted her gaze.
There must be an outfit that made her smile like that.
Judging from the call earlier, whoever was on the other end was going to wear something that pleased Ryu Risa.
Scanning the office, Gyeoul’s eyes landed on one outfit.
A black mini dress on a mannequin.
That’s the one.
It didn’t suit Gyeoul at all.
But whenever Ryu Risa got excited like this, it always meant she had assembled a top-tier look.
“Team Leader.”
Still staring at the dress, Gyeoul spoke.
“I’m going to wear that.”
“...That? Which one exactly?”
“That black dress. The mini.”
Ryu Risa’s face stiffened transparently.
Gyeoul jerked her chin at her team leader—bring it.
“Team Leader Ryu, let’s give this to our Gyeoul, shall we?”
The quick-witted team leader started flattering her. The youngest assistant hurried to remove the dress from the mannequin—
“Leave it as is~. Don’t touch the zipper.”
Ryu Risa’s expression completely iced over.
The smile from moments ago was gone.
“Gyeoul. You don’t like the dress I chose? That makes no sense.”
“I like that one more.”
With perfectly clear enunciation, Gyeoul stated her preference.
It wasn’t unusual to snatch another actor’s outfit.
Sponsors preferred more famous celebrities wearing their pieces.
“So. You’re asking for it?”
“Yes. Please give it to me.”
Her expression didn’t soften, but Gyeoul had no doubt the dress would be hers.
Smiling angelically, her team leader added fuel.
“Come on, Team Leader Ryu! It’s not like Eun Baekhap is wearing it~. It suits our Gyeoul much better, doesn’t it? Clothes belong to whoever looks best! What brand is it? We’ll contact them for you.”
While the youngest assistant hesitated, not knowing what to do—
Ryu Risa, staring at Gyeoul, flicked her right hand dismissively.
“Ah, forget it. I’m not doing it.”
“...Excuse me?”
“I said I’m not doing it. I don’t ruin my own vision.”
For a moment, Gyeoul doubted her ears.
In fame, public favor, advertising power—among the celebrities attending the Ruel Style Awards, only a few could rival Do Gyeoul.
She was top of the top.
There was no way Ryu Risa would say this.
Then confusion crept into Gyeoul’s mind.
“Team Leader Ryu! Isn’t that too much? Our actress is personally—”
“She either chooses from the dresses I prepared, or—if she doesn’t like them—she asks me to set up a new lineup. That’s it. Taking someone else’s outfit isn’t one of my options.”
Ryu Risa’s tone was sharp.
At this point, curiosity overtook every other emotion inside Gyeoul. Keeping her smile, she asked sweetly:
“Who is it for? That dress.”
Some instinct told her she had to hear the name.
Who the owner was.
Who made Ryu Risa smile like that.
“What would you do with that information.”
“No, Team Leader Ryu! Isn’t it unfair to deny us even the name?”
Her team leader started hopping mad. A stylist acting like this in front of his actress was unheard of.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
“...Really? I thought you were polite and nice, but maybe not. Throwing a tantrum with a smile isn’t going to make this work. Right?”
“I’m just hurt~. And curious about who our Team Leader Ryu is dressing. If you just tell me the name, I won’t insist anymore. Sorry.”
Pathetic reputation management.
Do Gyeoul offered the safest excuse with a smile.
If she said what she was really thinking, her father would drag her in for another lecture.
Even if Gyeoul was technically right, Do Munjeong’s nagging always followed the same script.
If she wants to talk, she could just talk. Why is she being so... aggravating?
Her facial control was starting to slip.
She swallowed the rising question burning in her throat.
Who could it possibly be—
“Han Yeoreum. Satisfied?”
The polite smile on Do Gyeoul’s face froze into something glacial.
