Chapter 59
To put it simply.
The ice dress wasn't actually made of real ice.
“Ah, a special material.”
Apparently, it was a dress made from a special material that looked like ice.
It was custom-made, the material was like this, and there was only one in the world—
It must have cost a fortune, right?
“How do I put this on?”
Even so, it really looked like a dress straight out of a fairy tale, which actually left me a little at a loss.
“It’s surprisingly stretchy. Ah, but please be careful not to damage the surface.”
Fortunately, it was stretchy.
And since a staff member would help me put it on, there was no problem.
“I’ll try it on once today, and after we make adjustments, I’ll wear it on the runway.”
“Ah, yes.”
For the record, everything the staff said was in French.
Roselia translated the difficult bits here and there.
Having a manager who also served as an interpreter was incredibly convenient.
Was she practically a bodyguard, too?
There was no better companion for getting around this sweltering Paris, which barely had any air conditioning.
“Just a moment….”
And so, I changed into the outfit first.
Two female staff members appeared from somewhere to help, and even Roselia had to pitch in because the process was so complicated.
First, I had to put on special flesh-colored underwear underneath, then put on the dress.
“It’s kind of cool.”
“The decorations look like real ice.”
Despite not being made of real ice, the dress was remarkably cool once I put it on.
Looking closely, fine white vapor was rising from the ice in the decorative parts.
“...Is it dry ice?”
“I hear it’s a similar material.”
Man, science and technology really are amazing.
Anyway, unlike those strange and complicated aspects, if it had one advantage—
“Wow… It looks like something out of a movie.”
The outfit itself was ridiculously beautiful.
When I stood in front of the mirror wearing it, I felt like I’d become the Ice Princess from some famous fairy-tale movie.
And since I was only wearing temporary makeup, how beautiful would I look on the runway?
Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it.
"It's really beautiful. You'll be the star, won't you?"
"...I suppose so."
Well, I was a little nervous too.
"What? Are you nervous?"
"A little?"
It was nice of them to prepare an outfit like this for me.
Still, it was a little intimidating.
**
Two days after arriving in Paris.
[Selina : What are you doing? You’re free at lunch, right? The restaurant I’m trying to reserve is….]
A text from Selina was waiting for me that morning.
What was this, making plans to meet up so early in the morning?
She’d kept talking to me yesterday, too.
She’d even told me to contact her when I came to Paris.
…Could this girl possibly not have any friends?
Hmm, judging from the way she normally talked, maybe she didn’t.
On top of that, she was pretty.
If things went south, she really looked like the type to have no friends.
And she was a successful model, too, wasn’t she?
If she didn’t have any friends, there was a pretty good chance she was dressing it up as people not hanging out with her because they weren’t on her level.
Wow, I’d already figured out her whole backstory.
I could probably take whatever past story she pulled out on a convenience-store bench with a grain of salt.
Anyway.
Despite the heat, an invitation to eat from a local friend was welcome, but unfortunately, I already had plans today.
[Me : I have plans]
[Selina : ? With who]
[Me : With Andel]
[Selina : Ah]
The thing was, I’d come here because I’d been invited.
I had to meet my host.
Well, two days after arriving did seem a little late….
“Wow, is this the place?”
“Yeah, you made a reservation somewhere expensive.”
When I arrived at the restaurant with Roselia for lunch, all those thoughts vanished.
Hmm, a place like this made two days hardly anything.
Apparently, it was a local restaurant famous enough to have two Michelin stars.
My mouth was already watering.
Skipping breakfast had been worth it if it meant reserving a restaurant like this.
"This way, please."
Once we entered the restaurant, we were shown to a private room for two.
Andel and I had the room to ourselves.
Roselia had a separate room with Andel’s secretary.
Hmm, a showdown between the bosses?
Right, it made sense for the aides to have their own room while the leaders met one-on-one.
“Welcome!”
“It’s been a while.”
“In French?”
“Yes.”
Andel, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, spoke to me in Korean, but I replied in French.
I figured I’d have plenty of chances to use French from now on, so I should learn to converse in it ahead of time.
“Haha, feeling confident?”
“Please use simple words.”
“Hmm, it isn’t easy, but I’ll try.”
Andel answered with a gentle smile at my attitude.
I’d looked him up online and found an intimidating image, but in front of me he was just a friendly foreign uncle.
“How was it trying on the outfit?”
“I felt like I’d become a princess in a fairy tale.”
“Haha! Exactly. That’s our concept this time.”
Our conversation continued mainly with Andel asking questions and me answering.
“How have you been lately?”
“I’ve been busy with shoots.”
“Really? Didn’t you take a short break, too?”
“I became a bit of a hot topic online, so I rested at home.”
“That game tournament?”
Andel smiled slightly as he said “game tournament.”
This guy knew everything, huh?
Well, since I was his exclusive model, perhaps he’d been briefed on everything.
“Yes, I went as a hobby, but I got filmed.”
“Drawing attention with a short video is clearly a model’s talent.”
For the record, if Andel’s Korean sounded like that of a kindly uncle,
his French truly sounded like that of a designer representing his brand.
It was generally elegant and polite,
and it made me even more uncomfortable than when we’d spoken before.
Of course, he was the ultimate client,
and I was the ultimate underling, right?
Ahh—
I was used to always occupying a subtly superior position, so now that I was properly the subordinate, my insides were churning.
“Thank you.”
Even so, super-genius model Ahyeon kept a poker face.
I was standing before someone who was the brand itself.
As the person who served as the brand’s face, I had to manage my expression well.
Unlike a person’s identity, a brand’s face was basically a mask.
The designer could replace it whenever they wanted.
So I planned to keep up the act of calm and just pick at the food before leaving….
“I’m interested in competitions like that myself. If one is held in Paris, would you like to go together?”
“Korea—Korea sounds nice. I hear that once autumn arrives, it has scenery rivaling Europe’s. If I go, could you show me around?”
“There’s a party at the end of the year. If you’re free, perhaps I could invite you….”
…Why was he making things so burdensome for me?
I endured it the first few times,
but as he kept showing interest, I soon became so distracted that I could barely tell whether I was even eating properly.
Please stop.
Just leave me alone, I mean it—aaaagh.
Let me just stuff my face with food and go home like this—etc.
Even as I went through all sorts of thoughts by myself,
“Ah, that sounds nice. It would be great to have an opportunity like that.”
“Korea? You’d be welcome anytime if you came.”
“A year-end party—may I ask what date it is?”
As befitted a super-genius model, I managed to answer each question calmly,
and after exchanging a few more words, the meal came to an end.
“I look forward to seeing my muse on the runway.”
Along with the most burdensome thing he could possibly have said.
“Kek, khek!”
“Ahyeon, are you okay?”
In the end, I got indigestion.
**
With Andel putting pressure on me and Selina pestering me,
whenever I went out to eat, there was no air conditioning, so my week in Paris flew by in an instant with me holed up in the hotel.
Watching the dramas and movies I’d fallen behind on made the time pass surprisingly quickly.
Besides, I had plenty of other things on my schedule to take care of.
Anyway.
And so, the long-awaited day of Fashion Week arrived.
“Are you okay?”
“Is there any reason I wouldn’t be?”
Standing in the waiting room, I watched the venue on a screen.
As expected, there were a lot of people—and a lot of models.
Andel’s Fashion Week show was already underway.
This was the time slot before mine.
Even though Andel was a rising brand, it had begun making a name for itself worldwide, so there were quite a lot of models.
I was responsible for the main time slot—the highlight among them.
That’s the role of an exclusive model and “muse,” after all.
Honestly, it was fucking intimidating.
After all, wasn’t I serving as the figurehead for a globally renowned brand?
In just a little while, I’d have to go out there and walk the runway myself.
The whole world was watching. The slightest mistake wouldn’t be tolerated.
“Hoo—ha.”
Still, this was the last hurdle.
Once this was over, I’d go home and get some proper rest.
And do the streams I’d put off, too.
Even after coming to Paris, I’d occasionally checked the fan café, and people had been looking for me so desperately.
I’d even agonized over whether I should turn on a livestream.
“It’s almost time.”
“Yes.”
Still, I’d be seeing them soon.
A comfortable soundproof booth, cool air conditioning,
and my cutting-edge computer and all my games.
“Phew….”
I drew deep breaths as I pictured my utopia.
My outfit and makeup were already perfectly in place.
Perhaps because of that, even though the venue itself was quite hot, the area around me was cool.
The chill emanating from the clothes seeped into my body and gradually calmed my mind.
Right. It was nothing special.
Wasn’t this something I did all the time?
I closed my eyes and pictured myself walking the runway once more.
I’d already finished rehearsing and received final approval,
but I was considering things like how to look better and express myself more effectively.
This was my final inspection.
“It’s your turn to go.”
“Yes.”
After one last review, everything was perfect.
Right, Andel hadn’t chosen me as his muse for nothing.
Click, click.
Who am I?
The pride of K-models, an eighteen-year veteran model.
Click, click.
Well, I hadn’t been walking for eighteen years, of course. But I did have experience under my belt, didn’t I?
Experience becomes gravitas,
and gravitas eases a person’s nerves.
That’s why, even as I passed through the dark corridor, my heart rate gradually slowed.
Click.
And when I actually started walking, an unexpected change occurred.
The special ice attached to my outfit reacted to the high temperature at the venue.
Fsssh—
The cooler I felt,
the more fiercely vapor leaked from the special ice attached to the surface of the dress.
Click, click.
Heavier than air, the vapor naturally settled across the floor,
remaining wherever I walked.
It was as if the hem of the dress continued on forever.
Click, click.
And so,
I passed through the corridor where the sound of my shoes rang in my ears,
Click—click—
At last,
the star of the day appeared on the stage watched by the world.
Fsssh—!
painting the runway with a carpet of my own.