Chapter 80: Beautiful Part-Timer (2)
After the script reading, the production team moved on to shooting the next scene where Kang Ra-Eun and Ji Han-Seok were having a one-on-one interview. The two actors had to focus their nerves on every single word for the dialogue-heavy scene. Ra-Eun activated yet another one of her talents.
“I’ve had a lot of part-time jobs. I used to be a server at a restaurant, an employee at a beauty store, and explained food products while serving samples at food aisles in stores.”
Han-Seok pretended to be writing something down as Ra-Eun said her long line with perfect articulation.
“So, you’re saying you have confidence in your communication skills?”
“Yes!”
Ra-Eun used to be criticized for her articulation back when she had been a bodyguard. She had been berated by one of her seniors one time for her inability to clearly explain the situation in emergencies. After that day, Ra-Eun took enunciation lessons as if she was aiming to become an announcer. Only after she was able to brief her security team members as concisely, swiftly, and accurately as possible were they able to respond in kind.
‘I never expected the enunciation lessons that I got back then would raise my value as an actress.’
She even thought that... she was born to be an actress in her second life. Director Hwang nodded like a bobblehead in great satisfaction by Ra-Eun’s perfect line enunciation.
“Okay, Ra-Eun! That was absolutely perfect! You could even become an announcer!”
“Thank you, Director.”
Han-Seok already knew how good Ra-Eun’s articulations were, so he was not all that surprised. However, he was surprised about something else.
“I think you’ve gotten a lot better than back in our previous drama together. Your tone of voice has also gotten a lot more natural.”
“It was worth putting all that practice into it, then.”
No matter how talented one was, a satisfying product could not result from a lack of effort. Ra-Eun had replayed the scenes that would be shot today in her head over and over again right until she went to sleep yesterday. She had a good memory, so she could easily memorize the lines. The issue was her performance.
Ra-Eun’s character Kang Seon-Hye, unlike her character Jin Seo-Yu in Reaper, had to emit the energy of an innocent country girl. She would slowly adapt to life in Seoul and become more sophisticated as time went on, but there was a need to emphasize during the initial portion of the drama that Seon-Hye was an innocent country girl. Hence, Ra-Eun forcefully raised her energy level.
‘This isn’t really my thing, but...’
It couldn’t be helped. As long as she was an actress, she had to perform as if she had been possessed by the character, even if their personality did not match with her own. That was the essence of a true professional.
***
The shoot was able to end an hour earlier than planned thanks to the Ra-Eun & Han-Seok pair’s flawless performance.
“Great work, everyone!”
“Thank you for your hard work from so early in the morning!”
The staff members congratulated each other for their successful first day of shooting. Ra-Eun got ready to go back home together with her manager. Director Hwang approached her as she was saying goodbye to Han-Seok.
“Ra-Eun. I discussed it with the clothing team, and they said you can wear the sportswear that you showed me this morning. They all loved the design as well.”
“I’m glad everyone liked them.”
.
Han-Seok took an interest in the mention of sportswear.
“Are you talking about the clothing business that you were setting up, Ra-Eun?”
“Yes. The preparations are almost complete. All that’s left for us to do now is to secure enough supply through the factory.”
Park Seol-Hun and his sales team had already secured a distribution line. All that was left to do now was production, and then to go into proper sales.
“Do you have menswear as well? It’d be nice to show male sets as well, don’t you think?” Han-Seok said with great interest in Ra-Eun’s business.
He had volunteered to be a model, which Ra-Eun more than welcomed. Director Hwang also strongly agreed.
“Please bring some menswear next time as well like Han-Seok suggested, Ra-Eun,” said Director Hwang.
“Okay, I will.”
Her company sales would increase along with her popularity as an actress. It was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
***
It had been a while since Seo Yi-Seo, Choi Ro-Mi, Na Gyu-Rin and Ra-Eun got together. Their goal was clear: shopping. The four girls arrived at a department store and looked around clothing stores before they went for lunch.
Ra-Eun was bombarded with people asking for her autograph as she strolled through the store. Her popularity was as high as always. She didn’t mind dealing with fans, but...
‘I’d like to buy some clothes.’
She had become a university student. Now that she was an adult, her clothes from last year felt a little tight. Her waist circumference was fine; rather, her clothes felt more loose around the waist than last year. The problem was with her hips. Ra-Eun had come shopping with her friends to buy some new jeans because her old ones felt too tight around her hips.
She no longer felt awkward in womenswear stores.
“Is there a specific piece of clothing you’re looking for?” an employee asked.
Ra-Eun answered as if she was waiting for them to ask, “Could you show me some jeans?”
Jeans, unlike skirts, were one of the safest and least uncomfortable pieces of clothing to wear. Hence, they had become her most frequently worn fashion item as of late.
The employee took out and showed Ra-Eun a pair of jeans.
“How about something like this? Jeans like these that help accentuate the hip curves are on the rise these days. They’re skinny-fit, so your legs will look beautiful as well. They’re also made of comfortable materials, so I’m sure they’ll be more than good enough for daily use.”
Listening to explanations was pointless. The most important thing when choosing clothes was how good it felt to wear them.
“Could I try them on?” Ra-Eun asked.
No one could tell how a piece of clothing would look on someone until they actually tried it on.
“Yes, of course!” the employee answered cheerfully.
Ra-Eun entered the fitting room with the jeans. She could hear her friends outside while she was putting them on.
“Have you put them on, Ra-Eun?”
“Yeah. Can you take a look?” Ra-Eun asked.
Her friends showered her with compliments as she exited the fitting room with the jeans on.
“My, my. They fit you so nicely!”
“That’s a celebrity for ya.”
They could clearly see the difference between a regular person and a celebrity. Ra-Eun pulled her hair back and stood in front of the mirror to check her appearance for herself.
‘But man... I’ve completely become a woman.’
She used to get so embarrassed by stuff like this, but now, shopping with her girl friends felt all too natural to her. She was placed on a turning point of whether she should be happy or sad by how well she had adapted to her new self.
***
Ra-Eun purchased every single piece of clothing that she took a liking to regardless of price, because there was no way that she was short on money. The clothing stores also gave her discounts on their own without reserve for items that were a bit too pricey. They were well aware that a celebrity like Ra-Eun simply wearing their products was an advertisement in and of itself. The stores were practically begging her to wear their products.
Shopping time had come to an end. Ra-Eun had been planning on having lunch with her friends and perhaps watching a movie after, but that plan crumbled into bits from a single phone call.
“You won’t be able to free up any time other than today? ...Okay. I’ll be right there, so tell everyone to wait.”
Yi-Seo asked what the call was about as Ra-Eun hung up. “Was it about the drama?”
“No, my company. They asked me to come greet everyone since they’re having their regular meeting today. Sorry, but I have to go.”
Ra-Eun had not met all of her company’s executives yet. Not only was the company schedule jam-packed, Ra-Eun’s own schedule was also just as full, so she had not been able to schedule a proper date. She was not directly involved in business administration, but she was the chairwoman in name. It was her responsibility to deliver a few words of encouragement to her staff members.
Ra-Eun drove to her company building. She parked in the underground parking lot and took the elevator up to the floor where the new office was. She could see the engraved company logo and name written in English as soon as she entered the hallway.
They had decided on ‘Levanche’ as their company name. It was the same clothing brand name that Seol-Hun had grown into greatness in Ra-Eun’s past life. She had asked him why he chose that name, but he answered that there was no particular reason for it. It simply sounded cool.
‘That mister sure loves to act cool.’
The executives got up from their seats as soon as Ra-Eun entered the office.
“Good afternoon, Chairwoman!”
“Oh my God, is Miss Kang Ra-Eun seriously our chairwoman?”
“Wow, it’s my first time seeing a celebrity in person.”
The employees who had yet to meet Ra-Eun until now tried their best to hide their astonishment. Seol-Hun and Ma Yeong-Jun approached Ra-Eun as soon as they heard that she had arrived.
Ra-Eun asked the two men, “Is the meeting over?”
“Yeah. They were all waiting for you.”
Ra-Eun usually spoke informally to the two men, but she forced herself to speak formally since it was obvious what the other employees would think if they witnessed her being disrespectful to men who were far older than her. Seol-Hun and Yeong-Jun were unaccustomed to Ra-Eun speaking formally to them at first, but like how Ra-Eun was slowly adjusting to her life as a woman, they were also in the middle of adjusting to the current situation.
Clap, clap!
Seol-Hun clapped twice to focus the executives’ attention on Ra-Eun.
“Okay. It’s been a while since our chairwoman visited, so let’s have her say a few words of encouragement before we start getting into business for real.”
This was the perfect chance to greet the executives as well as to let them know in what direction she would lead the company. She cleared her throat with a few coughs and clearly articulated her ambitions like she had done during her drama shoots.
“Our company Levanche will grow to become the greatest clothing brand that will represent Korea, so all you have to do is to trust and follow me.”
She was saying that she would carry this company on her back. The executives showered her assertive ambitions with applause. Ra-Eun had already risen to stardom as an actress. However, it was still not enough. She had taken her first step in her second objective, to become a successful businesswoman.
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