As soon as the theme song stage ended, the recorded broadcast began….
Meanwhile, we had to prepare for the next stage makeup right away.
“Ha Ye-rin, where’s the hair staff? Are they not on standby?”
“They’re rushing over with the equipment right now!”
“Hurry up and change the makeup to fit the concept! Quickly!”
The busiest ones were the coordinating staff. They had to get our hair, makeup, costumes, and so on ready in just one hour, so they were running around as if a war had broken out.
“Um….”
“Please stay still for a moment, Ye-rin.”
“……Yes.”
I had no less than five staff members sticking to me. Two were doing my face and body makeup, one was touching my hair, one was setting up my costume, and one was taping my shoes and ankle to prevent me from slipping on stage.
Thanks to that, I felt like a noble lady about to go to a ball.
And then….
“Ye-rin, please don’t move your body. You don’t even need to respond.”
“…….”
“I said stay still!”
“…I was just breathing.”
“If you exhale that loudly, the line here will fall apart! Just close your eyes and breathe once every five seconds!”
…It was really freaking hard.
You might think, “What’s hard about just standing still while the staff does all the work?” But standing completely still like a mannequin is no easy task.
With heavy makeup on, I couldn’t scratch the itchy spots, and the uncomfortable costume was a bonus.
After barely enduring the hellish 40 minutes….
“Phew…! It’s done!”
I was finally able to finish all the preparations.
“All First Team members are ready! Please move to the waiting room!”
With the staff’s words, I opened my eyes and looked around to see that all the other team members who had finished preparing were waiting for me on the sofa behind.
I waved at them excitedly after escaping the hellish time of preparation, but then….
“Phew, finally done. So everyone else finished before me?”
“…….”
“……?”
The other team members were just staring blankly at me without any reaction.
Curious, I tilted my head and….
“Um… why is no one saying anything…?”
“Sister….”
Seo Yoo-jin was mumbling with what seemed like a look of devotion in her eyes.
“Y-you look so beautiful right now…. No, it’s not that you weren’t beautiful before…. You were the most beautiful in the world, but right now, you are truly the most beautiful in Korea… no, in America… no, the most beautiful in this world… no, the most beautiful in the universe… Really a goddess in human form….”
“Why are you being so… embarrassing….”
Since the trait of 좌호법 had been added, Seo Yoo-jin tended to praise me like this every once in a while. But today, it seemed excessive, and I couldn’t hide my bashfulness and turned my head away.
Then….
“……Wow.”
I found myself admiring my face in the mirror softly.
Even if it was an exaggeration, my face really was, as Seo Yoo-jin had said, quite beautiful.
The expression “goddess” might be an overstatement, but it felt as if a female lead character from a comic had torn through the book and come into reality.
Having been reborn in Ha Ye-rin’s body, my standards of beauty had skyrocketed, so if I was judging it this way, I could only imagine how unreal my appearance must seem to others.
“…….”
As I stared blankly at the mirror like a person suffering from princess disease, one of the team members approached, placing a hand on my shoulder, and said.
“…It’s over.”
“……What’s over?”
“This stage, our victory. Just by you appearing, everyone, whether male or female, will be blown away!”
“Pfft… what are you talking about?”
I chuckled at her playful comment.
Thanks to that, the other team members who had been staring at me blankly also burst into laughter, and the atmosphere warmed up.
“Haha, right. With Ye-rin’s face, just making an entrance would mean victory, victory.”
“…Stop teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing! You’ve always been beautiful, but right now, Ye-rin’s face is the most beautiful in the world.”
“Everyone else is also beautiful.”
“Oh my! It’s truly an honor to hear such words from a goddess!”
“Hahaha!”
“Wahaha!”
After laughing together and making eye contact once, we opened the door to head to the waiting room.
And then….
“Uh?”
“Hmm?”
Everyone jumped at the sight of someone outside the door.
You see….
“Seol unni…?”
“Seol-ah?”
Standing outside our First Team’s makeup room, waiting for us, was none other than Yoo Seol from the opposing team.
“Seol-ah, why are you here…?”
“Your team is supposed to go before us. Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the stage now?”
For reference, through a mini-game held yesterday, the Second Team, which Yoo Seol belonged to, got to perform before us.
With only about 10 minutes left in the recorded broadcast, the Second Team needed to be backstage preparing for their stage, so why was their de facto leader, Yoo Seol, here?
As our team members looked at her with questions in their eyes, Yoo Seol appeared somewhat anxious and spoke.
“I just… have something to say.”
“Something to say? What is it?”
“That is….”
Then, Yoo Seol started to mumble….
Swish.
“…!”
Pointing at me, she continued.
“I need to talk to Ye-rin… personally…”
“…….”
“Could you… make some room for me?”
The Second Team, to which Yoo Seol belonged, had to get to the backstage right away, and our First Team had to move to the waiting room as well.
Logically speaking, we had no time to talk personally right now.
But….
“Hmm? Please….”
Yoo Seol’s face looked so desperate that….
“Please.”
I couldn’t reject her request.
Yoo Seol and I hurriedly moved to an empty waiting room where no one was present.
“…….”
“…….”
Yoo Seol, who said she had something to tell me, was now hesitating, struggling to speak easily once it was just the two of us.
Faced with an awkward atmosphere, I decided to break the ice.
“Unni, you look really beautiful today.”
“…….”
Yoo Seol was dressed in a high-teen look infused with Y2K sensibilities, matching the concept of the Second Team’s song.
The already beautiful Yoo Seol shone even brighter with the fashion and makeup suited for the concept.
But was my compliment a burden to her? She didn’t respond at all.
Just as I began to feel a bit awkward….
Thud.
“……Unni?”
“…Ye-rin.”
Yoo Seol suddenly knelt down in front of me.
Caught off guard by the sudden situation, I was taken aback as Yoo Seol spoke in a desperate tone.
“…Mom is very sick.”
“…….”
“She needs to go into emergency surgery, but the hospital fees are overdue, so they can’t do it….”
“……Unni.”
I placed my hand on Yoo Seol’s shoulder, trying to stop her, but Yoo Seol, with her eyes glazed over, continued to ramble.
“I managed to persuade the hospital to use the prize money from Na Ah Ah for the hospital fees.”
“…….”
“I have to win this time to somehow gather the money for my mom’s hospital expenses….”
Yoo Seol looked small and pitiful, like a drenched puppy as she spoke.
“Help me… Ye-rin….”
“…….”
“I have to win this time by any means….”
Yoo Seol’s eyes were not filled with tears.
All her pride, dignity, and pride were stripped away, leaving only desperation behind.
“Please… please….”
What Yoo Seol was asking was simple.
She absolutely had to win in Na Ah Ah.
And for her to tell me this directly meant….
‘Is she asking me to mess up the stage on purpose for her?’
Understanding her intentions, I clenched my fists tightly.
I knew Yoo Seol would never make such a request.
It was the situation surrounding her that made her like this.
‘And I’m the one who knows her situation better than anyone.’
After the last competition, I had overheard her conversation accidentally through Kang Hyung-man and learned about Yoo Seol’s situation.
‘The hospital fees are considerably overdue, and emergency surgery is needed.’
‘…….’
‘If you’re close friends with Ye-rin, should I take care of it for you?’
‘No, President. I can’t bother you with my issues again. Instead….’
What I could say to Yoo Seol now was….
Thud.
“Unni, don’t say that.”
“……Ye-rin.”
“We’re competitors, after all. …What’s with showing weakness to a competitor before the competition?”
“…….”
“If there’s something you want…, if it’s that urgent….”
I tightened my grip on Yoo Seol’s shoulders and continued.
“You should earn it and take it for yourself. You have the capability to do that.”
“…….”
“Do your best to defeat me. I’ll do my best to defeat you, too.”
Messing up the stage on purpose for someone’s personal matters?
That was utterly unacceptable.
It would be disrespectful to the viewers who had been watching Na Ah Ah, the fans who came all the way here, the team members, and to both herself and me.
Having come this far, there was only one thing we could do.
To show a performance without any regrets to our fans.
No matter how dire Yoo Seol’s situation was, we wouldn’t let her personal issues muddle our last story.
“…….”
Did she understand my intentions?
Slide.
It felt like a light was beginning to shine in Yoo Seol’s eyes, which had been clouded by desperation and urgency.
“…Okay.”
Yoo Seol then stood up, pushing herself off the floor.
“What I need to do now is to finish the performance with all my might.”
And then….
Gently.
She lightly hugged me so as not to mess up her hair and makeup and whispered.
“…I’m sorry.”
“…Unni.”
“I didn’t mean to disrespect you. The situation was so urgent that… I got carried away….”
“…….”
“I promised… I promised I wouldn’t do anything dirty or nasty, and only win with pure skill….”
When she lifted her head again, Yoo Seol’s eyes shone brightly with firm resolve.
“I’ll give it my all, Ye-rin. Watch me. I’ll show you everything.”
I finally smiled a little and nodded.
“Now, that’s more like you, Unni.”
“…….”
At my words, Yoo Seol patted my shoulder once and hurriedly turned around.
“I’m sorry for dragging you out suddenly. It looks like my stage is starting soon, so I’ll be heading out now.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Creek.
“Ah, wait a moment, Unni.”
“…Huh?”
I called out to Yoo Seol one last time before she left. And said.
“Meeting you in Na Ah Ah was a stroke of luck. Competing with you has always been fun and… frustrating.”
“…….”
“Thank you for being with me up until now; let’s finish the last part with a bang.”
At my sincere farewell, Yoo Seol smiled a small smile.
A small piece of pure, clear smile hung on her face, which was still filled with worries.
“I’m sorry for everything until now. And….”
“…….”
“…Thank you, meeting you is my good fortune.”
With a slightly embarrassed expression, Yoo Seol left, her cheeks tinted red.
Behind her, a status window appeared.
[The hidden effect of the protagonist trait “Awakening” is being activated.]
The awakening effect of the protagonist that had led me to defeat in the last competition.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I had awakened a monster that had been sleeping in me, but I didn’t regret it.
Because this competition was the final rivalry between Yoo Seol and me.
Our competitive relationship that had started since the first episode of Na Ah Ah comes to an end today.
Suddenly, memories of my time with Yoo Seol flashed through my mind like a panorama.
Both good memories and bad memories coalesce into a single will.
The will to beat my dear rival.
I was truly going to do my best to win against Yoo Seol.
Yoo Seol would likely feel the same.
Now, it all comes down to whose feelings will resonate more with the fans.
As I watched Yoo Seol’s departing figure, I thought.
No matter who wins… this final competition will undoubtedly be a stage with no regrets.
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