“Move aside.”
Yang Ha-rin’s sharply spoken single word.
Sua thought. It absolutely cannot be now.
As much as she wanted to move aside immediately, the state of her dress was far from good, so she couldn’t.
Yang Ha-rin narrowed her eyes slightly and said,
“Didn’t you hear me? Move aside.”
“I heard.”
Because it felt like prolonging the answer any further might not be good, Sua replied. While taking a quick step back.
Whoosh!
“…”
However, at the same time, she felt the back part of her dress tearing a little more, and Sua stopped again. By force.
“…”
This was already a disaster. Once a tear began, it would be easy for the rest to follow. It was obvious that every step would lead to a larger tear.
With an even more sour expression, Yang Ha-rin said,
“Why, do you think you’re already some big actor?”
Of course, it wasn’t a statement that would be heard by the journalists.
“Or do you think you’ve already won some award?”
She simply whispered these words while resting her chin on Sua’s shoulder. Yang Ha-rin, of course, had that kind of seasoned expertise.
Thanks to that, the journalists who were still unaware of the situation called out,
“Eh? Do the two of you know each other?”
“What is your relationship?”
Meanwhile, Yang Ha-rin spoke again.
“Getting all the company’s attention, even having Kim Sun-il and Seo Yeon-joo adjusting for you, I can understand why your pride has grown. But…”
“…Hmm.”
So, Yang Ha-rin thought Sua wanted to extend the photo session due to an inflated ego.
It was the other way around. She just wanted to escape.
“There’s a saying: ‘A fox in the tiger’s coat.’ Even if you squabble around while wearing a tiger’s mask, a fox is still a fox. Are you really a tiger?”
“…I’m a fox.”
And Sua, who considered all foxes to be good by default.
“Yes, I understand that well.”
And there was a brief moment of silence.
“…”
Sua was startled, thinking Yang Ha-rin had suddenly complimented her, while Yang Ha-rin was surprised that Sua had admitted it so quickly. An awkward silence.
Finally, Yang Ha-rin broke the silence first.
“…If you’ve grasped the situation, move aside.”
But just at that moment,
Sua extended something toward Yang Ha-rin.
“…What is it?”
Yang Ha-rin was curious.
“…What’s with the hand mirror?”
Since it was indeed an unexpected hand mirror.
Of course, Sua who handed it over didn’t mean anything special by it.
They say even a worm will bite if cornered. Though obviously such a saying doesn’t exist, that was Sua’s current state of mind.
She had simply grabbed whatever was nearby to hand over.
It was the result of some quick thinking. If the camera lenses focused on this, it would make it easier for her to escape.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Indeed, the flashes began going off. All they captured was Yang Ha-rin absently handling the hand mirror.
THUMP!
It was then that Seo Yeon-joo gripped Sua by the hips.
……
……
……
……
……
Just a few minutes earlier.
“Why is Sua standing so rigid?”
That was Seo Yeon-joo’s fleeting thought.
Kim Sun-il had already rushed in, but Seo Yeon-joo remained standing close to Sua, waiting nearby — she thought they looked pretty together in photos.
And soon, Seo Yeon-joo realized why.
Sua’s butt.
There was a problem with Sua’s dress. It had already torn.
“What…?”
At that instant, Seo Yeon-joo felt despair before worry.
She couldn’t even imagine something like this happening to herself, yet here Sua was experiencing it so naturally that it didn’t even seem particularly surprising.
Of course, she’d already seen that incredible figure during the filming of 808.
Still, it left her somewhat uneasy. What kind of effort would it take for her to tear her own dress in the hip area? Practically impossible.
No, hold on. Maybe it wasn’t entirely impossible.
If she slid on her butt across asphalt…
Maybe that would do it…
“…”
…Ah, never mind. Stop with the depressing thoughts.
And the next moment.
“…?”
Seo Yeon-joo’s emotions shifted to perplexity.
Because the torn portion of the dress revealed something unusual about the shape of Sua’s underwear.
It wasn’t an issue of excessive exposure or provocative clothing. It was something entirely different.
“…If she was wearing something like that, it would have been better, but what on earth is this?”
It had the face of an Arctic Fox printed on it.
“…?”
Only then did Seo Yeon-joo feel an immense sense of worry.
Some actresses occasionally use intentional exposure for media play, but what was this adorable underwear supposed to signify?
There was no way to use it strategically. What would this do to Sua’s image?
“I need to have a word with the stylist. What is this?”
Of course, Sua had chosen this herself after much consideration, but Seo Yeon-joo could never have imagined that.
Sua pick something like that? Nah, unlikely.
Fortuitously, Seo Yeon-joo was experienced at this.
Swish—
Seo Yeon-joo delicately wrapped Sua’s waist with her hand, then subtly grabbed her hip, pulling the torn part of the dress together as much as possible.
“!”
Inside, Sua was startled.
She almost let out a weird sound and rolled her eyes to glance at Seo Yeon-joo.
Why did she just touch her there? Worse, she had figured out the torn dress! Amidst Sua’s rapidly working thoughts, Seo Yeon-joo leaned in and whispered quietly to her,
“It’s okay to have some physical contact between two women. We’ll probably look like kind sister figures. That’ll make for a nice, heartwarming news piece later, right? They’ll probably write about how we’ve grown closer through this project.”
“Ah…”
At this point, Sua was deeply touched. What a good person…
“Of course, this isn’t just for the news, right? Let’s aim for looser-fitting outfits next time. What’s going on with these clothes?”
Sua nodded in agreement.
“Big sister, thank you.”
At those words, Seo Yeon-joo smiled unconsciously.
Because it was the first time Sua had called her “big sister.”
“Thank me? Who else would help you if not me?”
“How should I repay you for this favor? It’s troubling.”
“It’s not like you have to repay it. If something happens to me someday, you can help me then, right?”
“I doubt something like that would happen to big sister. That’s why I’m troubled. I think I need to find another way to repay you.”
An innocent statement.
Seo Yeon-joo’s expression disappeared.
◈◈◈◈◈
Sua quickly finished changing.
Kim I-seo wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, she offered words like, “You did well sticking with the struggle against your dress.”
Meanwhile, the stylist was called suddenly to Seo Yeon-joo’s waiting room and soon afterward departed, scratching her head, muttering, “Why is everyone suddenly asking about undergarment adjustments…”
A little later.
“…Why are you acting weird today?”
Kim Sun-il appeared with a furrowed brow. Just as Kim I-seo, who had just helped Sua change, turned around to ask.
“Sun-il, what’s the matter?”
“Seo Yeon-joo.”
“Yeon-joo?”
“Yeah, she’s more sensitive than usual today. Did she eat something bad?”
However, it was almost never the case that only the Mystics gathered and had quiet chats. They were far too popular.
Too many people visited the production team of “Sword.”
“Sun-il, your presence is impressive despite being a special guest. Even in the midst of filming for the Special Mobile Unit 808, you managed to do this? Do you have two bodies or something?”
“Your praise is too much. It didn’t take long since it was just a special appearance.”
“I’d like to introduce myself to Yeon-joo too, but where did she go?”
“She looked quite serious. She’s probably preparing her mind for the award ceremony ahead. She’s quite ambitious.”
“…Someone at that level would probably not even glance at short films, yet Miss Yeon-joo always impresses with her passion.”
They appeared very busy.
But that was only true for Kim I-seo and Kim Sun-il. It didn’t apply to Sua.
“Kind of lucky.”
For Sua, it was rather fortunate.
If people crowded around, it would be stressful, and there was always the chance of unintentionally making a verbal blunder.
Though, what didn’t come to Sua was only ‘words.’
As for gazes, they were overwhelming, and this moment was no different.
Everyone who had spoken with Kim Sun-il and Kim I-seo cast careful glances at Sua before leaving. All looked somewhat regretful.
“—Their looks are funny. It’s obvious they want to talk to Sua but they’re walking away.”
“—Sir, your face isn’t very approachable, so it’s better this way. It also means you won’t have pointless conversations.”
“—That’s certainly…”
Sua had become accustomed to the inner chatter of Wi Ji-hye and Yu Han-sua.
And just then.
“Everyone, please take your seats!”
A loud shout from the staff. The award ceremony had begun.
Sua stood up from her seat.
Who would win the award? She briefly wondered.
Unaware of what lay ahead in her dreams.
