Chapter 8 of 10

Chapter 8

12 min read2,931 words

When a commoner regresses, they become a golden spoon - Chapter 8 (8/405)

This timing is really good.

"You seem to have a call."

At my words, Baek-hwi glanced down at his phone screen for a moment, then pressed the hold button to turn it off. The screen, which had been glowing, went dark again.

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Aren't you going to reply?"

"It's fine not to."

With a faint smile, Baek-hwi's head, where a skill window had reappeared, betrayed a mix of unpleasant emotions. The kind that can't be hidden no matter how many layers you wrap them in.

Baek-hwi's phone screen flashed again. I caught a glimpse of the message, "It's important, call me," but I didn't bring it up.

* * *

From my bag, a small coin purse, a lip balm, two tints, a cushion compact, a hand cream, a stamp, a few Maingju shells, a flyer picked up on the street, and three thousand rubber bands came out.

'Ah, I should have organized this better…'

Unable to resist, Baek-hwi laughed softly at the Maingju shells and neatly arranged the items he had taken out.

The symmetry of the items, clean and without any clutter, was impressive. Despite the varying sizes and lengths, he placed them as if they belonged there. He seems to be good at organizing.

He naturally picked up the cushion compact with fingerprints on it, wiped it clean with a napkin from the table, and placed it back.

"Can you turn on the camera?"

「[Skill: I'll Take a Life Shot (A+)]」

A golden skill window appeared above his head.

'I'll try to raise my photo stat today.'

While continuously taking photos, the phone vibrated so loudly that the table shook.

Buzz - Buzz -

Turning my head slightly to the side, I saw Baek-hwi's expression stiffen as he looked down at his phone screen coldly. After a small breath, he lowered his eyebrows slightly and spoke softly.

"Sorry, I need to go now."

"Go ahead. Thanks for today."

"No, I'll take you home. Is it nearby?"

Ding -

We walked out of the cafe, matching our steps slowly. Standing right next to him, I could really feel how tall he was.

His facial features were so perfect that it was hard to imagine any black history.

'Unlike me, he probably takes out his yearbook and looks at it often…'

Even in the elementary school album, which is now a hazy memory, Chae Baek-hwi must have had a complete face.

I had been looking at his face without realizing it, and when our eyes met, I tried to walk as naturally as possible, looking straight ahead. The 'Seo Yoon-sul' stamp on the back of his hand, which he had pressed firmly earlier, was still vivid.

The stamp of my name, which I had playfully pressed onto the back of his hand before organizing my bag, had left a bright red mark due to the red ink from the contract with Kiki.

"Was it easy to understand what we talked about today?"

"Yeah, the symmetry and shadows were clear. But the light source was a bit difficult."

"You've always been good at symmetry. Checking where the light is coming from takes time."

"When did you start liking photography?"

Glancing up slightly, I saw that he had been looking down at me the whole time, and our eyes met again.

With a habitual smile, Baek-hwi, who was matching his steps with mine, seemed to be thinking for a moment.

"Since I was little? I don't remember much, but it's been like that since I was little."

"Amazing. What was so interesting?"

"It wasn't so much fun as…"

Just as the phone vibrated again, Baek-hwi casually put his hand into his coat pocket, took out the phone, and answered in a lowered voice.

"When I take photos, it gets a bit quieter around me."

"……"

A status window appeared above my head again.

「[Skill: I don't know, but (A+)]」

"I'm just shy."

...Liar.

Ding -

「[Understanding of a character has increased.]

Understanding +10

Name: Chae Baek-hwi

▶Understanding: 10/999

▷Increased understanding of a character can randomly reward you.」

* * *

"Talk a bit."

"…I have nothing to talk about with you."

"Why are you talking like that?!"

The loud voice from my mother, who used to be a noble ballerina, is something I can never get used to, no matter how many times I hear it. I had forgotten about it during my brief time abroad.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have followed Chae Baek-hwi to Korea. I went out of impatience and came back out of impatience. Of course, I didn't have Chae Baek-hwi's consent. It didn't matter.

'This is a matter between our two families, right? You know it's inevitable.'

Jae-in rationalized it and dialed the phone again, nervously.

"The customer can't answer the call…."

No matter how anxious I was, she didn't answer the call, and when I sent a message saying I had something important to discuss about family matters, she didn't read it. Family matters. This was the unwritten rule between Jae-in and Baek-hui. Children raised in a family that treated them like chess pieces on a chessboard knew how to use each other better than anyone.

No matter how much they didn't want to talk about family matters, they had to smile and have a conversation. No matter how much they didn't want to see each other, they had to smile and face each other.

Leaving the noisy house and sitting alone in a cafe, Jae-in thought about Baek-hui, who had broken the rules.

Even though it wasn't a rule and it wasn't a foul, the way he left her alone like this made her want to scream that it was a foul. Chae Baek-hui.

"What's that on your hand?"

"Why do you keep calling? Stop it." Despite the sharpness in Baek-hui's voice, the red mark on his hand, which appeared when he arrived late, made Jae-in realize something.

Children raised by an unhappy couple inevitably become perceptive. Jae-in had a hunch.

"I don't care."

She knew but didn't ask further.

Thud, thud -

They walked in silence. When Baek-hui heard the important story, he nodded indifferently and started walking in front.

The long shadow of Baek-hui under the streetlight was the only person who made Jae-in, who had no one to lean on and shouldn't lean on, want to lean on him.

Still, the red 'Seo Yoon-sul' stamp on Baek-hui's hand made her want to sound like her angry mother. A voice strained with anger.

'Seo Yoon-sul… It's nothing.'

Upstart. Your family and you are nothing. You've messed everything up. What a joke, coming to the luxury mall to meet Chae Baek-hui.

When did the VIP lounge become a place for beggars? You can't live there anymore. Seo Yoon-sul!

Under the dark night sky, the red letters on Chae Baek-hui's hand seemed to glow brightly. Jae-in was calmly analyzing Yoon-sul's situation in her mind to avoid becoming like her mother.

'So, you…'

Her throat was hot. She vowed to teach Yoon-sul this miserable feeling properly someday, to return it many times over, as she walked through the night.

Looking at Chae Baek-hui's broad back, which she couldn't lean on.

* * *

As soon as I opened my eyes, the status window appeared in front of me. It's not a morning call, what is this?

Ding - Ding -

「▶System

【Mission: General】

▶Hey! Honey Jum

Your foreign followers have reached (3,000)! Let's move on to a bigger world.

Add (500) more foreign followers within (7) days.

Reward

○Increase in fame stat

Do you accept?

'What…'

Yesterday, I spent the whole night browsing foreign hashtags to gather Ustagram followers, and it seems they've already surpassed 3,000.

'The reward isn't much, should I just skip it…'

That fame stat doesn't seem very useful. They said you can view it when you reach a certain point, but they didn't specify what that point is.

'Why not just give me an item instead of fame?'

I closed my half-open eyes and folded the status window for now.

After some time, I've learned a few things about the status window. It has a few convenient functions.

It converts the items I own into items and provides clear indicators. For example:

Ding -

「▼Detailed Description▼

23,900 (free shipping)

→A cozy pajama that makes you feel like you're wrapped in a blanket. The ivory color suits warm tones well.

▶Fit Index: 70

Characteristic: Increases HP by 3 every hour for 1 hour after wearing. (A bit worn out from long use. The lace on the neck is worn. The original color was milky ivory, but it has slightly turned beige….)」

Like this.

Not all items appear as items. They must be recognized as mine, so it's hard to tell how functional an item is just by looking at it in a regular store.

'When I looked at the products in the SPA store last time, none of them showed any characteristics.'

I bought the cheapest socks to test it out, and the characteristics started appearing as soon as I paid.

Ding -

「▼Detailed Description▼

3,800

→Ankle socks that are easy to coordinate with anything. You might want to buy several pairs because you'll keep reaching for them.

※ When you buy a few more basic items, skill points accumulate, allowing you to view new skills.

▶Fit Index: 100

Characteristic: Prevents 1% HP loss from the moment you put them on. (The black color, which was a bit hurt by the white and ivory colors, is grateful to you for picking it up without hesitation.)」

'I need to figure out if the characteristics appear only when I buy them or if they appear even if they are gifts from someone else…'

I want to level up both stats and skills. Since I haven't obtained any skills as rewards yet, it might be that skills can only be leveled up by spending money to collect items.

'How cheap, trying to诱导我充值.'

The status window giving me 10,000 won as a reward makes me feel like I don't have money to spend. Really.

* * *

"Ms. Yoon-sul, we're going to start writing articles next month. We want to send you the new products quickly. Is it okay if we send them to you? It's better to check the physical items than to send them as attachments."

"Ah, sure. Can I give you my address?"

After a long time of not doing work-related calls, my old habit of saying "Sure" came back.

Could this be the [Skill: Professional Mindset (A)]…? Faster and more appropriately than anyone, it's as if I've thoroughly memorized the work content, "Sure."

'Is this why it's an A-grade skill?'

"Sure, Ms. Yoon-sul. I'll send them to the address you provided. The delivery will arrive in an hour."

"Sure, I understand."

A pro "Sure" battle. Maybe the skill is shining above the head of the young employee.

"Also, Ms. Yoon-sul, your advance payment will be deposited tomorrow. Usually, our other editors don't get an advance, but… you know, we trust you."

The moment I heard "advance payment," all my attention was drawn to the phone. I didn't expect to be able to refill my gold so quickly. A sense of loyalty to the company that I've never felt before is burning.

(I'll work hard if you pay me more.) (I'll work diligently according to how much you pay me.)

"Sure, I'll do my best from now on."

"We appreciate that. We'll send the delivery later."

"Sure, thank you."

The call ended with a pro "Sure" conversation, and I shook my hand, which was tightly holding the phone.

'I did it, I did it before the month even ended!'

After a celebratory ceremony, I unfolded the status window I had folded out of annoyance. I needed to check if the new sponsored items would appear as my items.

「[Current Items]

It's Dangerous Outside the Blanket! Sleepwear

▶Fit Index: 70

Ordinary Ankle Socks

▶Fit Index: 100

Mom Bought It! Teddy Bear Underwear

▶Fit Index: 100

…」

…This one appears too. Anyway, it's good that the fit index is high.

I opened the large postal boxes, four of them, and took out the items one by one.

Spring season knits, dresses, a new brand's bag, a new color series of tints, one-day lenses….

'The item window isn't opening.'

Is this really trying to get me to pay?

Muttering in frustration, I opened a lipstick from a box that had a shimmering effect.

Ding -!

「▼Detailed Description▼

☞Perfect for You!

10,800

→A moisturizing texture that doesn't highlight dry skin. A cool, high-pigment pink color without a yellow undertone, suitable for cool tones.

▶Fit Index: 95

Characteristic: It's like turning on a spotlight on your face from the moment you apply it. Due to its high moisturizing properties, it can smudge easily and needs to be reapplied frequently.

Charm: Increases by (+7).」

Huh? This works. Wait, am I a cool tone…?

'I always thought I was a warm tone. …Ah, that makes sense. No wonder it didn't feel very professional.'

A few years ago, when personal color tests were popular, I went to a well-known place for a color diagnosis…. It had a lot of good reviews.

Being a viral marketing employee, getting caught by viral marketing is embarrassing.

I clenched my teeth and started tearing open the packaging one by one. Each time, the status window opened, showing the characteristics of the items.

Now it's clear. Even if I didn't buy the items, as long as I opened the packaging and recognized them as mine, they would change into items.

'Fortunately, it's not trying to get me to pay.'

I sighed in relief, thinking I could avoid many potential mistakes in the future. The items with shimmering effects on the boxes all had a fit index of 90 or higher.

I definitely thought I was a warm tone when I got the personal color test. I'm a tone blind, I'm a tone blind…! Wait.

'There's no personal color trend right now. If I do this well, I can use personal colors to do something…'

If the fit index shows the colors that suit each person, I can identify tone blinds at once….

But does this item status window apply to others?

I looked at the pile of sponsored items for a moment, then quietly picked up my phone.

-Sul-a!

"Na-yeon, can you come over to my house?"

Na-yeon, who said she would answer the call in three seconds and arrive within an hour, rang the doorbell in less than thirty minutes.

* * *

"So, you're a Kiki guest editor now? Seo Yoon-sul?"

"Yep, starting next month."

Na-yeon's affection level is rising steadily as soon as she starts talking.

"Wow, that's so cool~ It's really great~ You should brag about this to the others, right? Why did you keep it to yourself? If it were me, I would have changed my KakaoTalk profile picture as soon as I got the call from Kiki. And changed my name to 'Na-yeon, who got a call from Kiki.'"

Seeing Na-yeon excited as if it were her own achievement made me feel like I had become someone great.

"Still… I'll keep it a secret for a while. There will be a lot of talk when I become an exclusive editor. I also have a freelance contract."

"Wow…."

Na-yeon's eyes, quietly watching me, seemed to be filled with emotion. Why?

Na-yeon covered her mouth with both hands and then smiled widely.

"Of course… We're friends who don't keep secrets, right? That's why you told me first…."

Actually, I'm hiding it because I'm going to do sponsored posts.