Chapter 10

#10. Photo Book Shooting

After finishing his meal, Jae-in held back the team members who were urging him to go first, and saw them off until their cars were out of sight. The team members, feeling grateful for Jae-in’s farewell, kept bowing, which made him feel awkward.

"Let's go, hyung."

"Yeah. When you get home, don't leave right away. Come back up. I have something to talk about."

"I was planning to do that anyway. I have something to give you too."

"Alright."

What his brother was about to give him was probably the mental protection item they had talked about the day before. While Jae-in had only been thinking about the meal when they made the dinner plans, his brother had already prepared the item. It was impressive how quickly he had acted after their conversation.

'Well, I should have just told him sooner. I feel bad... I made him go through all this trouble.'

At home, what Jae-in wanted to talk about was related to his awakening. He planned to reveal only that he had gained healing abilities, keeping the fact that he could see a status window hidden.

He had experienced the potion's effects being maximized, but he wasn't sure if it was a side effect or a unique trait. He didn't want to add the absurd story about seeing the status window alone.

* * *

"Hyung, I suggested you try modeling, but if you don't want to, you don't have to."

"I already said I'd try it. Why bring it up again?"

"Just now, the team leader said that such decisions shouldn't be forced on anyone."

"Ugh. Do you really think I'm that young?"

Jae-in had to force down a smile thanks to his brother. The kid, much bigger than him, looked so dejected that he found him cute. It was as if something was wrong with his eyes.

It was a conversation that could have been had as family, but his brother seemed genuinely apologetic, which made him quite downcast. Despite acting like a big brother recently, he was still just a kid.

'He's not being that pushy, yet he feels so bad about it.'

Here, he wasn't, but he was already at an age where he was used to making his own decisions and taking action. He might look like a rookie, but he was long past the age where someone else's push could make him decide.

"I wasn't planning to go back to school anyway. I'll just think of it as another part-time job with good pay, as you said."

Jae-in closed his mouth after mentioning the good pay for the modeling fee. It was his way of showing consideration, not wanting to see his brother looking so down.

"Got it. Hyung, take this."

"Ah!"

It was a simple metal bracelet and necklace. The two accessories, carefully chosen by Jae-hyun, were items that could protect against physical damage and mental interference, suitable for use by ordinary people.

Jae-in's face was full of guilt as he listened to the explanation about the items. He wished he had mentioned his awakening when they made the dinner plans, but now he felt bad for making his brother go through all this trouble.

"Sorry. I couldn't tell you earlier, but I've awakened."

"Awakened?"

"Yeah. I awakened this morning and was too busy to tell you."

"What ability do you have?"

"It seems to be a healing ability..."

Jae-hyun's mouth hung open when he heard about his brother's awakening ability.

Not only did he look noble, but his awakened ability was just like him. Among countless superpowers, healing was one of the most sought-after, often jokingly called a noble profession.

'My brother, but really. It's like he's been blessed by the gods.'

It was fortunate that he was family; if it were someone else, it would have been very hard to swallow. With his already striking looks, adding a healing ability made him a prime target for envy and jealousy.

"Then I'll return this and get something more suitable for you."

"No, it's fine. Awakened people are somewhat immune to mental interference, right?"

"That's true. But it's still good to have something to protect against physical damage. Don't refuse it."

"Alright, I'll wear it. Thanks."

He wanted to give him more, like a tracking device or a stun gun, to show how much he valued his brother.

"Hyung, try using your healing ability on me."

"Sure."

Since there were no injuries, the healing ability just swept over Jae-hyun's body and disappeared. Still, it wasn't completely ineffective; his body felt much lighter.

"Why are you making a heart with your fingers? Is it a heart?"

"No! It's a cross, a cross. For better healing."

"Ah, it's a routine, then."

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. It's a routine."

"If it's a routine, it's fine, but be careful. Someone might misunderstand and think you're sending a heart to yourself."

Actually, making a heart with fingers was something anyone could do these days without causing much misunderstanding. But if it was his brother, it was a different story. With people around who would swoon at just a glance, a heart would definitely cause a reaction.

"R-Right?"

"Good. As a healer, you'll be treated well wherever you go."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They'll even add a little extra pay."

While society tried not to discriminate between ordinary people and awakened ones, discrimination was inevitable. This wasn't about awakened people with minor abilities; it was about special or powerful awakened ones like Jae-in and Jae-hyun.

'Heard the entertainment industry treats awakened people well too.'

When the staff like managers or security were awakened, it was one thing, but when the entertainers themselves were awakened, the treatment was especially good.

He had heard that the number of programs they could appear in and the roles they could take on would increase. If they awakened with a good ability, it would be a hot topic, and they could handle a tougher schedule better than ordinary entertainers, making it more advantageous.

'Really, being an entertainer would suit hyung.'

Even though he had apologized for pushing him, Jae-hyun still hoped Jae-in would become an entertainer. With his looks, it would be safer to be in the public eye.

If not, working for the government or a guild, where ordinary people couldn't easily access, would be better.

Of course, all of that was only possible if Jae-in wanted to, but the fact that he was reconsidering the photo book shooting showed that it wasn't entirely out of the question.

"Then let's go register together tomorrow."

"Huh? No, I can go alone."

"I'll stay the night and take you to the guild in the morning. Let's go together."

"Alright."

With that face, what kind of trouble would he get into alone? Jae-hyun clicked his tongue.

Whether he became an entertainer or a government agent, Jae-in needed to be more aware of his own appearance.

* * *

Jae-in felt a new sense of appreciation as he surveyed the photo shooting location. What he had thought was just a well-paid part-time job had turned out to be a far more significant experience over the past ten days.

'It's been quite a journey, really.'

The process of reporting his awakening went smoothly. Apart from Jae-hyun standing guard like a scarecrow throughout the process, it was a quiet affair.

However, the journey to the photo book shooting was quite challenging. Thanks to Park Yeon-hwa's formidable negotiation skills, he ended up getting several times the original pay, and he would also receive a portion of the book's sales.

'I'm really worried. I heard that even famous actors usually publish around ten thousand copies.'

Jae-in was unsure if he could handle the results. Even famous photographers usually publish around two thousand copies, but this photo book was set to have an initial print run of five thousand.

The large print run had kept Jae-in up at night with worry. While everyone around him assured him that there would be no leftovers, he was anxious that it might end up in storage.

'Artists' minds are hard to understand. What kind of photos are they taking here?'

The first shooting location for the photo book was an abandoned church building near Seoul. Located in the center of a village that had been abandoned when dungeons appeared long ago, the building was filled with the harsh marks of time: broken glass, crumbling walls, and scattered crosses.

The abandoned church looked like a haunted house, but the photographer seemed to love it. He was excitedly setting up lights, large diffusers, and reflectors with his assistant.

'Just stand naturally inside the building?'

Could it really be this simple? The instructions for the test shots were so straightforward that he was skeptical. There were no specific poses or emotions to act out. He was just told to stand comfortably, and he wasn't sure if that was enough.

Moreover, the outfit for this shoot was quite simple, and the makeup and hair styling were different from the previous shoot. The makeup involved just a few swipes of a brush on his nose and chin, and his hair was brushed a few times. It was almost like he was bare-faced, and he was worried if it would be okay.

"Alright, the light is perfect now. Let's start shooting."

"Yes, sir."

"Mr. Jae-in, just stand comfortably inside the building as we discussed. You can move around a bit, but stay within the area I showed you."

"Got it."

After arriving early in the morning and preparing, the photographer's ideal time had finally arrived. The transition from morning to afternoon, with the shadows and light hitting the building just right, was the perfect time to capture the desired shots.

'He said he would start with just the upper body and then move to the knees, right?'

Jae-in entered the building, confirming the space where he could move. Even though the debris had been cleared for the shoot, dust still flew. However, the area where he would move was completely clean, with not a single pebble.

-Click, Click!

The photographer, focused on his camera outside the building, looked quite impressive as he tried to capture the perfect moment. Initially, his persistent calls had seemed strange, but seeing his dedication to his work made Jae-in reconsider his judgment.

'This is definitely a different world. Leaving such a building intact, and needing security to go to the outskirts...'

The claw marks on the walls and the tattered cloth that looked like it had been cut by a sword gave him a sense of unease. Of course, he was the only one feeling this way at the scene. To others, it was just a familiar abandoned building.

'Everything feels so strange.'

Jae-in suddenly wore a confused expression without realizing it. The things he had lost due to his awakening came to mind, and the buried questions and stark sense of disconnection overwhelmed him.

'Amazing! How can he make such an expression? He said he couldn't act at all!'

The photographer was delighted to see Jae-in naturally expressing emotions without being directed. The lack of detailed instructions and Jae-in's proactive attitude were not just commendable but deeply appreciated.

'Wow! The uncertain and anxious gaze...'

Jae-in's vulnerable appearance, standing on the edge between boy and man, deeply resonated with the photographer. The moment he captured, with Jae-in's face half-shadowed as he twisted his body, was undoubtedly the best shot of the day.

While the photographer was thrilled with the successful shoot, Jae-in was feeling a completely different emotion. Just as he was about to be swallowed by the depths of confusion, a message pulled him back to reality.

The system message, which he had been hearing frequently since his awakening, was appearing non-stop in the air, as if trying to snap him out of it.

It seemed this message was triggered by the photographer, his staff, Jae-hyun, and his team members, who were all excited about the shoot.

'Come on! Isn't this too much? Can't you at least show some consideration when someone is deep in thought? And why are you giving me contribution points I can't even use so often?'

Jae-in's face showed unhidden frustration and anger. He had spent so much time trying to change the message settings in his status window, only to find out that he needed to buy a consumable item from the contribution point store, which left him feeling quite defeated.

-Click, Click!

With no answers, his frustration, anger, and resentment grew. Jae-in didn't hide his anger towards the system, which he couldn't control.

And Photographer Choi Hyun, delighted by Jae-in's ever-changing expressions, kept pressing the shutter button.