Chapter 9

#9. Shall we give it a try?

Thud! The sound of the car door closing snapped Jae-in out of his bewildering thoughts.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yeah.”

He then heard his brother’s words, clenched teeth, and the team members’ voices. In that brief moment, his brother’s demeanor had completely changed. Grind! He even ground his teeth and glared at the car behind through the rearview mirror with annoyance.

Jae-hyun was relieved that he had chosen a restaurant with private rooms. He hadn’t expected his brother to appear with a halo-like glow, but if not, the situation would have been awkward due to the team members’ stunned reactions.

“What happened yesterday?”

“Juju Berry potion. I took it.”

“Brother, don’t you want to get a physical checkup?”

“Should I?”

“...Hmm. No, it’s better not to.”

Jae-hyun shook his head. Upon further thought, it seemed better not to have the checkup. If the result showed a unique constitution, it could cause problems. The desire for beauty is so intense. It was clear that his brother would be dissected like a specimen.

It seemed he should also stop giving him beauty potions for now. It would be better to find a way to protect his brother before resuming.

‘Potions can wait. Rather, I should advise him to get a job that offers protection, like an entertainer or something.’

With such an appearance, even in South Korea, which is known for its safety, it would be dangerous to wander around unprotected. It would be better for him to become an entertainer or take on an important role to receive protection regularly.

Unlike the quiet car of the Jae-in brothers, who were lost in their own thoughts, the car following them was in chaos.

Especially, Kim Na-eun, who had run out first and seen Jae-in’s face up close, was in a serious state. Her eyes were wide open, and she was breathing heavily. She was so shocked that she didn’t even notice when Team Leader Park Yeon-hwa patted her arm.

“Huff! Huff! My heart. His face, oh, it just... came into view...”

“Breathe, Na-eun.”

In fact, Park Yeon-hwa, who was in the driver’s seat, and Sean, who was in the back, were just as shocked, though they didn’t show it.

What exactly had they seen? Was it even human? How could a human emit light? They doubted their well-trained Awakened vision.

“Wow, Brother.”

“Amazing.”

“Oh, it’s so complicated. I want to tell everyone about Brother’s handsome appearance, but I also want to keep it to myself.”

“...Are you becoming like Alexa?”

“Huh! Why am I...”

Kim Na-eun’s face, which had been spouting silly comments, suddenly turned pale.

Alexa was a perfect example of the side effects of learning Korean and culture through idol fandom. How many mental attacks had she endured due to her inappropriate words and actions?

Team Leader Park Yeon-hwa withdrew her comforting arm from the shocked Kim Na-eun.

* * *

The dinner started with formal greetings. The team members, who had readily agreed to Jae-hyun’s sudden request the day before, were treated warmly by Jae-in.

Was that a mistake? Despite the luxurious dishes filling the table, no one was enjoying them properly. All the team members, as if by agreement, didn’t pick up their chopsticks and just stared at Jae-in’s face.

‘They’re too close... It feels like my face is about to burst.’

If this wasn’t only the second time meeting the team members, he would have scolded them to snap out of it.

“What! Why are you sneaking closer?”

Of course, Jae-hyun didn’t just stand by and watch. He blocked Kim Na-eun, who was leaning closer to get a better look, and got annoyed.

“S-Sorry. It’s just... because of the light, my body just... Sean, say something. You said it was dazzling, right?”

“...”

“When did you take out your sunglasses, Sean?”

“Just now.”

“Ahahaha!”

Jae-in’s laughter broke out. He had been uncomfortable with the intense attention, but his face relaxed with the banter between the two. As the tension left his body, he finally noticed them properly.

Their eyes were full of affection, their ears perked up, and their cheeks were flushed. The team members were sending clear signals that they liked him.

‘Jae-hyun seems to be working with good people. That’s a relief.’

After a good laugh, the Jae-in brothers and the team members enjoyed a comfortable dinner. The good atmosphere led to endless conversation topics, such as the strange plants they saw in the dungeon, the guild members’ blunders during hunting, and the menu of the inn’s restaurant.

“By the way, Brother, have you ever thought about becoming an entertainer?”

“Huh?”

“I’d watch your movie ten, no, a hundred times. I’d bring all the guild members.”

“Ahaha. I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ve never thought about being an entertainer.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not my personality. I don’t have any talent.”

The faces of the four, excluding Jae-in, showed disbelief. With a face like that, why would personality matter? Just a light smile would be perfect.

With Jae-in’s face, there was no need to try to stand out like others, and there was no need to show off any special skills. No subtitles, background music, or flashy effects were necessary. Just sitting in the center of the screen would be enough.

“Not all entertainers are sociable and outgoing. And we don’t know if you have talent or not. You’ve only done a photo shoot once, yesterday.”

“But...”

“Don’t say it’s not possible before trying. Give it a shot.”

“Right. If Brother debuts, I’ll be your number one fan.”

Behind Park Yeon-hwa’s words, Sean quietly showed three fingers.

Jae-in’s eyes were filled with suspicion, having secured three fans before even debuting. It seemed his brother knew something, specifically about his absurd status window.

“Hmm. Actually, the photographer I met yesterday did ask me to be a model for a photo book.”

“What kind of photos? Did you agree?”

“No, I declined. The theme was ‘Light and Boy,’ and I’m a bit too old to be called a boy.”

“Age doesn’t matter. Thirty-year-olds often play high school students.”

“Still...”

Jae-in had never really thought about becoming an entertainer, not even before the regression, and even less so after coming to this world. It had only been four days since he arrived. It was too early to decide his future before fully adapting.

“Where can I buy that photo book?”

“Huh? The photos haven’t even been taken, or rather, I declined...”

“When are you planning to shoot?”

“I heard the first shoot is scheduled for next weekend.”

“Next weekend. Team Leader, we don’t have any plans for next weekend, right?”

Jae-in answered Kim Na-eun’s question with a puzzled expression. It was strange to ask about the purchase method and shooting schedule of a photo book he hadn’t even agreed to shoot.

“I’ll take care of your security during the shoot.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you taking care of my brother’s security? If anyone, I should.”

“We can do it together.”

“Excuse me, but I declined the shoot?”

Jae-in was flabbergasted by the two people who ignored his refusal and continued discussing security. No matter how much they liked him, the photographer and these two were really pushy. Moreover, the idea of providing security for a photo shoot in the suburbs of Seoul on the weekend was odd.

‘Is ignoring refusals the new trend?’

Even now, with his phone on silent, messages from the photographer were coming in. Despite seeming busy, he had been sending messages steadily since morning.

“I’ll go with you when you sign the model contract.”

“Huh?”

“I heard that many in the industry don’t even sign contracts. It’s not right to do day jobs without contracts.”

“That’s true.”

“We’ll take care of the security, so we’ll include that in your pay.”

Jae-in didn’t need help with the contract, as he had signed many before the regression. However, it wasn’t the right time to bring that up. Jae-hyun and the other two were looking at Team Leader Park Yeon-hwa with admiration. It wouldn’t be appropriate to ignore the team leader in front of the team members.

‘Should I give it a try? The shoot yesterday wasn’t bad, even if the results were...’

The pay was good, and he didn’t need the profile photos, but he was tempted. If the theme of the photo book wasn’t ‘Light and Boy,’ he might have accepted the offer immediately.

‘A boy? I’m twenty-three, and my face looks younger, but still...’

Before the regression, he was thirty-five. The term ‘boy’ was more fitting for a middle-aged man, and that was his identity. Jae-in shook his head. He couldn’t act like a boy.

‘Entertainers are really amazing.’

He was hesitant to even look younger in photos by a few years, but thirty-year-olds playing high school students was common.

“Wasn’t the photographer the one who took the guild recruitment photos? Let’s get information from the support team before signing the contract.”

“Good idea, Team Leader. We need to check for any suspicious background. We can’t just hand over our precious Jae-in Brother to anyone.”

“Of course. We should treat a team member’s family like our own. That’s our guild’s motto.”

“Wow! What a great saying, Team Leader. Treat a team member’s family like our own!”

Team Leader Park Yeon-hwa requested information on the spot and said she would accompany Jae-in to sign the contract if everything was fine. She then assigned someone to pick up Jae-in on the shoot day and someone to scout the location.

Jae-in could only blink at the team members’ swift actions, as if possessed by a management company. He couldn’t find a moment to interject in their seamless planning.

‘I thought she was the last rational member among the troublemakers.’

Team Leader Park Yeon-hwa had seemed calm, watching the team members laugh and chat throughout the meal, but she was far from it. Her actions were impressive, and it seemed she was the right person for the team leader role.

“Ah! Sorry. We decided without your consent.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. We should have asked for your opinion first. You guys, apologize.”

“Sorry, Brother. I got too excited about the photo book.”

“Did it make you uncomfortable? Jae-hyun, apologize too. Even if he’s your brother, you shouldn’t pressure him.”

Jae-in shook his head at Jae-hyun, who immediately apologized after Park Yeon-hwa’s words. While it was absurd to decide things without his input, he wasn’t upset.

It was good to see his brother’s usual work style through their discussion. Most importantly, their serious conversations were about how to protect him and make him more comfortable.

‘Of course, borrowing the guild’s Rolls-Royce or recruiting the support team was a bit much.’

Despite their over-the-top actions, their underlying concern was evident.

“It’s okay, Jae-hyun. And the others don’t need to apologize. I was surprised but not upset.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And I’ll consider contacting the photographer about the photo book. I was hesitant because it’s something I’ve never done, but it might be okay.”

“You’ll definitely do great, Brother.”

“Ahaha.”

It was his first attempt. The only experience he had, the guild recruitment photo shoot, had been cut short. So, saying he would definitely do well was clearly just a compliment. Still, their encouraging words and looks felt good.

‘What did I do to get another contribution point?’

Earlier, it was because they liked his face, which was a somewhat embarrassing but understandable reason.

But now, there was no reason at all. He had only said he would accept the photographer’s offer, so why did his contribution points increase? Taking photos wouldn’t contribute to human development.

“I’ll borrow the Rolls-Royce for Brother.”

“I’ll clear the monsters near the shooting location beforehand.”

“I’ll help with the contract. I know a good shop. Should I make a reservation there?”

“I’ll take care of my brother’s matters.”

Jae-in heard the four excitedly making plans. His positive response seemed to be the signal, and this time, they were making more specific and realistic plans.

‘Was it four contribution point messages again? Could it be because the four of them are happy for me?’

The contribution point mechanism was completely incomprehensible.