Chapter 43: A Historic Advertisement Shoot (1)

 

In truth, Alice considered herself the closest to Yu-jin.

 

This was due to social media.

 

[Alice Littlewood]

 

(A photo of Yu-jin and her drinking Sol’s Dew together)

 

“Today too, Sol’s Dew!

 

It’s delicious!”

 

===

 

72,000 likes

 

‘Even when I look at Outstar, it’s only Bojji Kkong and I who post pictures with Yu-jin. Hehe.’

 

After the Academy lifted the SNS ban, she resumed using Outstar.

 

To the people there, she appeared to be Yu-jin’s only friend.

 

They took pictures together, and they were even filmed together in the entrance exam video.

 

It was natural for everyone to be envious of her, a friend of a celebrity.

 

Thanks to this, Alice was brimming with confidence.

 

She and Yu-jin were officially recognized as comrades of Sol’s Dew.

 

She was so happy she could burst into laughter.

 

At least, until the weekend came.

 

‘All day Sunday with Shia? And even meeting her father!?’

 

The articles about Yu-jin joining a clan that poured out on Sunday.

 

While it was worth celebrating his contract with Cheonhwa…

 

Did the clan leader have to be Shia’s father?

 

It was obvious that Shia was the one who brought him to Cheonhwa.

 

A daughter introducing a man to her father?

 

Even from a Western perspective, this was unusual.

 

Fathers were fathers regardless of East or West.

 

When a daughter brings a man, the father can’t help but be conscious.

 

Shia must have known this.

 

She must have taken him there knowingly. Tricking innocent Yu-jin.

 

To Alice, this was Shia’s scheming.

 

She had no choice but to think so.

 

‘Though I don’t have the right to say anything about who Yu-jin dates… No. That woman is obviously after Yu-jin’s abilities, isn’t she? As a comrade, I absolutely can’t stand it.’

 

Alice’s heart burned with obsession.

 

After all, Shia was only after Yu-jin’s power.

 

She had a strong bond with Yu-jin even before knowing about his abilities.

 

She became friends with Yu-jin first, without any ulterior motives like Shia.

 

There’s no way she would let Shia, who acts like a gold digger because of his abilities, get him.

 

Yu-jin had to be protected by her.

 

…Though such thoughts kept making specialized terms like NTR and BSS pop into her head. Nonetheless.

 

Alice became slightly more resolute with these thoughts.

 

-Ding.

 

‘A DM… Oh?! This is it!!’

 

Just in time, a message arrived.

 

Alice sprang to her feet.

 

Her eyes filled with determination.

 

‘If I accept this, I can become even closer to Yu-jin…!’

 

This happened about 12 hours before she brought up the idol idea to Yu-jin.

 

* * *

 

Monday morning.

 

Alice said something shocking right from the start.

 

“Yu-jin, let’s appear on TV together!! Let’s become idols!!”

 

“……?”

 

Why idols all of a sudden?

 

It would make sense if it were Shia, but Alice, who only liked pop songs like the Beatles…

 

“The truth is, I got a DM yesterday asking if we could shoot an advertisement for Sol’s Dew! It seems they think highly of us Sol’s Dew comrades!”

 

“Oh.”

 

So it was about an advertisement. For a moment, I wondered what she meant.

 

I regained my composure.

 

I had experienced numerous advertisement shoots even before my regression.

 

There was no reason to be flustered about it.

 

“An advertisement… Honestly, I don’t feel like it.”

 

“What!? It’s an ad for Sol’s Dew! Why not!?”

 

“Because if a weird ad comes out, it can ruin our image. It could remain as a lifetime embarrassment.”

 

As a 2nd-time hypnotic crossover guy, I thought shooting an ad now was a premature decision.

 

Depending on the content, it could damage our image…

 

More importantly, what if I said something like ‘I’m strong’ and it ended up as a lifetime black mark?

 

I didn’t want to be embarrassed like in the first round, where I wondered why everyone mocked me after I said a cool line.

 

“Don’t be like that, okay? Okay? It’s Sol’s Dew! It can only have a good image!”

 

“Advertisements are different, I’m telling you.”

 

“It’ll be fine! And they said they’ll let us drink Sol’s Dew for free for life!”

 

“Oh.”

 

Despite my explanations, Alice didn’t give up.

 

My resolve weakened.

 

“Do you really want to shoot the ad that much?”

 

“Of course! Yu-jin and I, the Sol’s Dew comrades, will spread Sol’s Dew to the entire world!”

 

I wasn’t keen on it…

 

But my wife, Alice, wanted to shoot it so badly.

 

The scale tilted heavily towards acceptance.

 

Thanks to the weight of love.

 

‘Alright, let’s just do it.’

 

“Ahem. Then…”

 

I made up my mind and cleared my throat.

 

To give Alice the answer she wanted most.

 

To say ‘Yes, let’s shoot it together.’

 

———That was definitely my intention.

 

-Grip.

 

42
“We can do it as Sol’s Dew comrades!”

 

“……!!!!!!?”

 

One sudden arm hook left my mind in shambles.

 

The whiff of perfume. The freshness unique to early twenties.

 

The soft yet firm texture pressing against my arm… different from my master’s.

 

What is this? Alice doesn’t have feelings for me yet.

 

Why this skinship? Is this normal in England?

 

“A- A- Alice. Your- your chest.”

 

“Stop changing the subject~ Let’s shoot the Sol’s Dew ad together! We’ll cover the world in Sol’s Dew!”

 

Alice was innocent amidst all this.

 

Apparently, such skinship wasn’t that embarrassing for her.

 

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

 

-Soft and springy.

 

‘My wife is truly the best….’

 

Skinship with the most beautiful woman in the world.

 

Being so close we could feel each other’s breath.

 

My heart raced painfully.

 

Suddenly, I found my wife incredibly lovely again.

 

If it were before the regression, I would have picked her up and run to the bed immediately.

 

Even my lower part…

 

-Startled.

 

‘……!? I- I won’t feel lust for the next hour!!!!’

 

The long contemplation and half-drawn Yu-jin’s fault interrupted.

 

I quickly suppressed my lust with hypnosis.

 

Thanks to my aversion to Alice being in her early twenties, it ended at a half-draw…

 

This overwhelming attack and the unexpectedly intimate skinship.

 

Had it lasted three more seconds, I might have fully drawn out.

 

However, even though hypnosis saved me from disgrace…

 

The danger still remained.

 

‘It doesn’t go down immediately.’

 

It takes time to sheathe a drawn sword.

 

All men know this ‘common sense.’

 

Anyone who has struggled in the bathroom in the morning has experienced it.

 

Moreover, my Yu-jin is a two-handed sword.

 

Even if it was only half-drawn, its presence was enormous.

 

Luckily, it was early morning.

 

There was no risk of social death since no one was around…

 

But if Alice saw it, it would be the end.

 

What to do? Cover it with my hands?

 

Impossible. It would be even more noticeable.

 

Covering it with a book…

 

I came with nothing but my bare body since I wasn’t going to study.

 

It was a crisis where evasion was impossible.

 

I tried a direct confrontation.

 

“Alice.”

 

-Out of the blue.

 

“……!!!!?”

 

I grabbed Alice’s shoulders and pulled her towards me.

 

Our eyes met at a close distance.

 

It was as if we were about to kiss.

 

“Yu- Yu- Yu-jin? Suddenly, why…”

 

“It’ll be a tough journey. Sol’s Dew is a persecuted drink in Korea. Some people even curse it, calling it caterpillar water.”

 

Of course, I wasn’t crazy enough to kiss her out of nowhere.

 

This was just to keep Alice from looking down.

 

To buy time for the sheathing.

 

“Tha- That… Close…”

 

“Do you still want to do it? With me?”

 

“……!!!!!?”

 

Though it sounded serious, the conversation was trivial.

 

Would we live a simple, happy life as caterpillars?

 

Or become named caterpillars by shooting the ad?

 

“If you want to, I’ll gladly do it too.”

 

I was saying I’d be your caterpillar comrade.

 

Alice’s pupils darted around.

 

“Tha- That’s… Huh? Are you serious? You’ll really do it!?”

 

“Of course. I’ll try my best. So you can be satisfied.”

 

“S- Satisfied, you say…”

 

“Though I’m not confident in acting, I’ll just follow the advertiser’s instructions.”

 

“……Pardon?”

 

Her pupils returned to normal.

 

Just as my Yu-jin was fully sheathed.

 

A grandiose but trivial speech to buy time.

 

Mission complete.

 

“Well, although I said it grandly. It might be nothing. It could be an ordinary ad.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“So, if Alice wants to shoot it, I will too. As Sol’s Dew comrades.”

 

“Oh… Yes. Then let’s do it. The ad shoot.”

 

For some reason, Alice’s eyes seemed a bit cold…

 

Well. Since I suddenly grabbed her shoulders.

 

It might have been a bit intimidating skinship, making her wary.

 

“Since I signed with Cheonhwa yesterday, they’ll adjust the contract terms. I’ll ask them to include yours too.”

 

“Yes. I’ll reply to the beverage company representative accordingly.”

 

-Mumbling.

 

“Being unnecessarily upright, why does he talk so confusingly? In this atmosphere, if you say you’ll do it, obviously…”

 

She muttered for quite a while after that, seeming quite annoyed.

 

I felt unjustly treated.

 

* * *

 

After many discussions behind the scenes.

 

The Sol’s Dew ad shoot was scheduled for this Thursday.

 

It felt a bit rushed but…

 

Well, the beverage company must be eager.

 

They probably tested the waters through Alice

 

, but caught a big fish like me.

 

They must want to film before I change my mind.

 

Moreover, my current popularity must be skyrocketing.

 

Thanks to Cheonhwa’s media play, my reputation should be quite good.

 

To leverage this special effect, they need to film and release it quickly.

 

Thus, I accepted it without much thought…

 

‘Wait, the second week Thursday?’

 

Suddenly, a piece of game event information crossed my mind.

 

A smile spread across my face.

 

I immediately picked up my phone.

 

-Beep.

 

“Father-in-law. It’s me, Yu-jin.”

 

[Who do we have here? It’s Yu-jin. I enjoyed the red ginseng wine you sent last time. It was clear that the maker poured their heart into it.]

 

“…Haha. I’m glad it suited your taste.”

 

After a somewhat formal greeting that pricked my conscience.

 

“By the way, about that ad shoot. Can I choose the filming location? How about Hangang Park?”

 

[Hmm? If it’s your wish, it can be arranged… But why?]

 

“Isn’t Hangang Park nice?”

 

[Well. Alright.]

 

I requested to change the filming location.

 

Hangang Park.

 

———Where an A-rank gate would appear on Thursday.