Chapter 83

Punishment Performance (2)

Wearing perfect female attire from head to toe, Oran and I decided to walk from the lobby to the 5th floor, where the representative office is located. We agreed not to enter each team's office, but only to pass through the corridors.

A cameraman responsible for filming the punishment followed us, and the members were waiting inside the company to come out at 2 PM.

The starting point was right at the main entrance. It was a place where not only company employees and visitors but also customers heading to the cafe in the company lobby came and went. It seemed like a spot chosen to ensure we received maximum attention.

As we adjusted our appearance with the camera right next to us, the people entering and leaving Hanul Entertainment's building focused their attention on us.

"Are they new actors?"

"What kind of filming is this? They're both so tall."

No matter how much they tried to lower their voices, their whispers reached my ears. They didn't even consider that we were men.

...Is this good? The compliments felt ambiguous. Even if we covered our bone structure with clothes, it shouldn't be possible to hide that we're men, right?

At exactly 2 PM, we saw Chulwoong and Ji-on gathering at the agreed location.

"Wow, wow? What should I say? I'm speechless? If you had a younger sister or an older sister, they would have been annoyed to death."

Chulwoong was convinced that if Oran and I had a family member who looked like us, the entertainment agency wouldn't have left us alone.

Given how often celebrities' family members also become celebrities, it's possible. Like Chulwoong.

"...Ewon?"

This was the first time I saw Ji-on with such a dazed expression. The usual calmness in his eyes was gone.

"Why are you like this? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"Close your mouth…."

Close your mouth? I wondered if I had done something wrong and rolled my eyes, but Oran burst out laughing. Chulwoong was trying to maintain his composure, but he was on the verge of laughing.

"Ask Ji-on about his ideal type."

I don't know why he suddenly asked me to do that, but I followed his instructions and asked Ji-on about his ideal type.

"A queenly person."

"A queenly person? ...Really?"

But, what does Ji-on's ideal type have to do with what I shouldn't say?

"This kid doesn't understand. Hehe. Even if he looks in the mirror, he won't understand. It's completely a comedy of errors."

I took the mirror from the manager, who was standing to avoid being caught on camera, and checked my appearance. The thin eyebrows, the slightly raised eye corners with dark shadow, and the bright red lips that looked like they had eaten a mouse.

The makeup was different and heavy, making me feel awkward, but there was nothing wrong with it. It didn't smudge.

It might have been strange to hear a deep, rough voice from a woman's appearance. It felt out of place.

I thought about changing my voice to match the female attire. To be perfect, I needed to change my voice too.

Hyunoh gave me the ability to freely adjust my voice. Mimicking isn't difficult with a few practices. So, I thought I could produce a voice that could be mistaken for a woman's.

"A, a, a, a, a—."

With each pronunciation of "a," the tone gradually rose, and by the end, it sounded quite convincing. The members standing next to me were wide-eyed. I tried to maintain the tone and slightly soften my tone.

"How is it? Is it still no good?"

"Oh, my…."

"Wouldn't this fool anyone?"

"Even if there's some misunderstanding, this is fine. How surprised will Seohoon, Parkha, and the other employees be?"

Ji-on ran his large hand over his face. Chulwoong and Oran were delighted, saying that others would be completely fooled.

It was odd that they didn't feel any sense of incongruity in my female attire, but I wasn't particularly upset, so I let it go.

"Since Ewon is putting in so much effort, I should contribute too. Ah, ah. Ah↑"

Oran, who was not used to it, made a funny sound at first but gradually became more stable. It still sounded artificial, though.

After preparing, we decided to start from the lobby and tour the company, escorting two wealthy young ladies as bodyguards.

We walked confidently through the lobby and bought coffee from the first-floor cafe. We decided to give coffee to the employees we would meet while touring to express our gratitude.

Since there were many people to give coffee to, we waited patiently in the cafe while the coffee was being prepared.

The eyes of the customers and employees in the cafe were fixed on us. They tried not to stare openly, but it was in vain.

Everywhere, people turned their heads to look at us, or their eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of us.

"They must be Hanul Entertainment's artists. They're so pretty."

"Can we ask for autographs?"

The two male customers believed without a doubt that we were women. I was unsure whether to clear up the misunderstanding.

I tried to make a rough coughing sound, but they didn't catch on at all. As I fell into deep thought, Chulwoong put his arm around my shoulder.

"Why suddenly?"

"I thought they might be embarrassed."

The camera was off while the coffee was being prepared, so the two customers were looking for a chance to approach our table with autograph requests.

Ji-on, following Chulwoong, tried to put his arm around Oran's shoulder but was punished by a fierce hand. Their bickering looked like a couple's playful teasing from a distance.

The two male customers left the cafe, looking dejected.

This isn't right? The opportunity to clarify had already passed.

I kept glancing outside the cafe, and Parkha, who was supposed to visit the management team, finally found us and entered the cafe. With the camera present, it was easy for her to find us.

"Sorry I'm late… Oh! What is this!"

Parkha, who was about to sit down and explain her tardiness, jumped up in shock, pointing at our faces.

"…Ewon? Oran? Wow, I can't recognize you!"

If we hadn't told her we would be in female attire at this time, she really wouldn't have recognized us. She was amazed, saying that even with advanced makeup techniques, this was unbelievable.

"No, it's because both of you have good looks to begin with! Yeah, that's it!"

"What are you talking about? Do you know us?"

"I've heard a lot about you from Ewon. Nice to meet you, Ha-joon."

"What, what!"

I changed my voice and tone to speak to Parkha. She jumped back a few steps, shivering and rubbing her arms.

"Introduce yourself. This is Oran's distant relative, Hong Yuran, and this is Ewon's cousin, Ham Eun."

Chulwoong, who was smiling warmly, not only introduced us but also added to the story.

"Chulwoong! Are you really going to do this? I really believed it!"

Parkha's lips quivered, and her expression crumbled.

"Was it that convincing?"

When I switched back to my normal voice, Parkha let out a sigh of relief.

"Ewon, I knew it was you, but I was still unsure. Why is your voice so natural? And what's with the new alias?"

Sniffling, Parkha clung to me and immediately turned on her phone to switch to selfie mode.

"Can I take a selfie?"

She had already prepared everything and asked late, but could I say no? Even if I could, it wouldn't have mattered much.

Since the NewTube camera was already filming, adding a phone camera wouldn't make much difference.

"Kimchi! Cheese! Cottage!"

Parkha took a selfie with me and then went to Oran to persuade him to take one too. Oran posed cutely for the photos.

This way and that. People who have seen Oran on stage and in the drama might get confused about which is the real Oran. I wanted to answer that question like this:

Both are the 'real' Oran. Even if the appearance in the workplace is different, it's not a lie.

Although the gap might be surprising, Oran's heart for the fans is always the same.

When the coffee was ready, the manager, Oran, and I, along with the other Theora members, carried the coffee carriers and followed us.

We walked through the bustling 1st floor, took the elevator to the 2nd floor, and as we walked down the corridor, Seohoon came out of the break room.

"Oran and Ewon? You've really gone all out with the makeup."

Seohoon, who met the female-dressed Oran and me as soon as he opened the door, didn't flinch and asked kindly.

Is he not surprised at all?

"Hello, Seohoon. I'm Hong Yuran."

"I'm Ewon's cousin, Ham Eun. Nice to meet you."

I changed my voice and tone, just like I did with Parkha, and started acting. But Seohoon didn't lose his composure and placed his hands on Oran's and my heads.

"Your acting skills are still lacking. You need more practice."

Is this an acting problem? Really?

"How do you distinguish between men and women, Seohoon? Don't you get confused?"

Feeling wronged for being the only one caught, Parkha questioned Seohoon.

"By the bone structure and muscle shape, which are distinctly Oran and Ewon. Makeup can be done, but the body can't be changed."

"…Do you have X-ray vision, Seohoon?"

"Definitely. X-ray vision."

Not only Parkha, who had been caught in our prank, but also Ji-on couldn't accept Seohoon's 'muscle' perception ability.

Do extremely developed fitness enthusiasts have the ability to distinguish people by their muscles instead of their faces or eyes?

"Still, your acting skills are lacking. Ewon's voice was quite convincing, but Oran's, well, it felt like a man trying to sound like a woman. The movements of the joints were also too forceful."

The other Theora members, except for Seohoon, continued the company tour, ignoring Seohoon's detailed analysis.

As we toured the 3rd and 4th floors, observing the reactions of the employees, I was amazed.

Many people were startled when we greeted them with a female voice and then revealed our true identities with a smile. If the camera hadn't been there, their reactions might have been even more overt.

"Oran and Ewon, I really thought you were family!"

"I thought you were from another agency for a collaboration shoot."

Some people even joked like this. I heard such comments from the new talent development team members.

"If I had met you elsewhere, I would have immediately offered you a casting! You're so pretty~."

Is it that different? Looking at Oran up and down, I had to admit it. Wearing low flat shoes, Oran was hard to recognize as a man. Even the way he crossed his arms and stood with one leg crossed was natural.

"Let's tackle the final challenge."

The final challenge, as Chulwoong put it, was the representative office of Hanul Entertainment.

We had already discussed it with the secretary, so Oran and I would go in first, and the camera would follow.

Knock, knock?

With permission to enter, we carefully opened the door and went in. The staff with the camera followed us.

"Hello, representative."

"…How did you get here? You look familiar, but where have I met you two before?"

The representative, surprised by the unexpected guests with the camera, awkwardly stood up and formally greeted us. He clearly looked for the secretary.

The representative, who seemed momentarily flustered, fixed his gaze on the staff with the camera and smiled politely.

"Are you related to the production? Please sit down and let's talk."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ewon's cousin, Ham Eun."

The representative nodded, agreeing that we looked alike and welcomed us warmly.

You shouldn't agree! This will complicate things! Can you survive after embarrassing your own agency's representative…?

While I was panicking inside, Oran boldly asked a question.

"I've heard that the representative has a great eye. Let me be direct. What do you think of us as entertainers?"

What is Hong Oran doing? Is she going all out?