Episode 23: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 23: Two Cakes in Hand by Doing Nothing (2)

With a bob cut, light makeup, and a seductive, dense perfume, the woman who entered was a chic career woman. She exuded a mature, attractive vibe, further enhanced by her casual suit. As she walked in with the sound of her heels clicking, she placed a laptop with a bitten apple logo and a small voice recorder on the table, then extended her hand.

"Did you wait long? Sorry for being late. I'm Kang Su-yeon, an editor from 'Woman Power' magazine."

"Oh, um, hello."

That intense perfume instantly penetrated my nose... Wow, is this the scent of a grown woman?

I've seen many pretty women, but this is the first time encountering someone who gives off such an “adult woman” vibe.

Maybe because I’m not used to it, my heart races as we shake hands.

Wow... I think I might have a thing for career women.

After what felt like an unusually long handshake with the smiling editor, I turned to see something odd with the older girl sitting next to me.

"…? Hey, are you okay?"

"Woman Power…? Kang Su-yeon…?"

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

The senior girl, who had been muttering to herself absentmindedly, snapped out of it and extended her hand.

As they shook hands, her expression looked... less than thrilled.

Wait a second. 'Woman Power'... 'Woman Power'... Where have I heard that before? Oh!

"You're that reporter from last time!"

"That’s right. I'm glad you remember. Phew, that's a relief."

The elegant reporter laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand. She was the same journalist who had taken tons of photos with her signature camera during the match against Seongshil University.

Wow~ just like they say, it’s all about how a woman presents herself. She was pretty back then too, but if she was just a pretty older girl then, now she’s… Wow, her white blouse, all buttoned up, is just perfect.

"Wow~ I almost didn’t recognize you, Miss Reporter."

"Oh my, why?"

"You’ve become so much prettier, I was shocked."

"Ah. So, are you saying I wasn’t that pretty back then?"

"No, no! I mean, you were pretty then too, but now you’re even prettier."

"I’m just joking. Actually, I wasn’t wearing any makeup that day... So, I do look different today, right?"

She softly laughed again, covering her mouth with her hand... Wow, so this is the sophistication of an adult woman!?

Her charm is overwhelming~~!!

"Heh~ So, you're from 'Woman Power' magazine, huh?"

...What’s going on?

As I exchanged lighthearted banter with the reporter, something about the senior girl sitting next to me seemed off.

"Yes, I’m editor Kang Su-yeon from Woman Power magazine. Here’s my business card..."

The senior girl took the card with a somewhat flippant attitude and finally introduced herself.

"I'm Yoon Hee-yeon, a tennis player."

Ah, so Yoon Hyuk senior’s sister’s name is Yoon Hee-yeon. Even her name is pretty.

While I was chuckling next to her, the atmosphere between the two women felt tense.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Yoon Hee-yeon. You’re very beautiful."

"Thanks."

"……."

"Do you not remember me?"

"Ah, um? I’m sorry. I’m not very familiar with tennis…."

"Huh. Well… is that so."

"……."

What’s going on with this atmosphere?

The interview began, and the tension was palpable. The reporter, seemingly irritated by Hee-yeon’s prickly attitude, asked me questions with a bright tone but switched to a more formal tone when addressing Hee-yeon.

"So, Ms. Yoon Hee-yeon, do you have a favorite brand?"

"I only use Babolat."

"Babolat?"

The reporter blinked and asked again.

"Is there a more well-known brand?"

"Wilson isn’t bad either."

"Ah… Is there a brand that more of our readers might recognize? For example, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, or Dior?"

"What are you talking about? I’m talking about tennis equipment brands."

"Excuse me? Equipment?"

"Yes, equipment. Specifically, rackets."

The reporter’s bewildered expression met with Hee-yeon’s incredulous one.

"Are you sure you came here to interview an athlete?"

"Of course. That’s right."

"Then what kind of questions… Ugh… I had a feeling this would happen."

Hee-yeon clicked her tongue and folded her arms, sinking into the sofa, her rude attitude causing the reporter’s eyebrow to twitch slightly.

‘Wow, the mood is killer.’

This is seriously like walking on eggshells.

I want to go home.

"Then may I ask you some questions, Min-jun?"

"Ah, yes! Ask me anything!"

From that point on, the reporter focused exclusively on interviewing me.

Meanwhile, Hee-yeon remained sulking in the sofa.

Have I ever been in a situation this uncomfortable in my life?

I feel like the shake I had this morning is going to come back up.

"Oh my. So, you don’t drink alcohol at all, Min-jun?"

"That’s right. I haven’t drunk until now, and I plan not to until I retire."

"Wow… That’s impressive. Even if I asked you out for a drink, it wouldn’t work?"

"Sorry?"

"I’m just kidding. Haha. Then what’s your favorite food, Min-jun?"

"I’m not picky. I like all Korean food, and I like most Western food too... but I’m not great with seafood that has a strong fishy smell."

The interview questions were kind of off.

Even though it’s supposed to be an interview with a soccer player, the questions are all about trivial things like favorite foods, music preferences, hobbies, special skills, how I spend my days off, and my preferred style of clothing.

Since it's my first interview ever, I'm answering sincerely, but I can't help feeling that something's off.

"Excuse me."

Just then, Hee-yeon noona, who had been casually lounging on the couch and filing her nails as if this didn’t concern her, suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Be honest. You didn’t do any research beforehand, did you?"

"...Research?"

Hee-yeon noona extended her hand with a knowing look.

"It seems like you're doing a follow-up interview because last month’s magazine featuring him got a good response. So, let me see it. I want to check out how the last interview turned out."

"Last month’s issue?"

The reporter noona looked flustered for a moment, glancing around nervously before letting out a deep sigh and rummaging through her bag to pull out a magazine.

"H-here it is…"

She handed over the magazine, avoiding eye contact.

Oh. The cover is flashy and sparkly from the get-go! A true women’s magazine!

"..."

"Hmm. Looks good."

On the cover was a confident-looking Western man, staring at us with smoldering eyes.

Wearing only his underwear.

This is the first time I've seen Hee-yeon noona smile since the interview began. So, this is what she likes, huh?

With each page Hee-yeon noona flipped through, a spectacle unfolded that I couldn’t bear to look at.

Argh!! My eyes! My poor eyes!!

My eyes are rotting!!

I mean, a half-naked muscular Western guy… that’s okay.

It's not exactly pleasant, but at least they’re handsome, fit guys with good bodies, so I can let it slide. I mean, they look cool, and it even motivates me to hit the gym.

But… but why?!

Why do I have to see half-naked pictures of women who are not only unattractive but also overweight!!

This extreme visual assault is corrupting my mind and soul...

"Ugh… Where is it?"

"Oh, sorry! Just a moment."

Finally, the reporter noona quickly flipped to the right page after hearing my desperate plea.

Around the middle of the magazine, a double-page spread was filled with a flood of pictures of me. And now, I felt drained in a completely different way.

"They turned out amazing, didn’t they? Especially this one, where you're brushing your hair back! This one is totally A-tier! No, S-tier! The slightly flushed cheeks right after the game, with sweat dripping down your neck… Ah, I-I’m being too much, aren’t I?"

"Oh, no, it’s fine. Yes, it looks great. Haha…"

Yeah.

She took good pictures of me.

I heard somewhere that magazine companies are usually pretty free-spirited. Maybe it's the artistic type or something like that.

"Aha~ I see."

While I was busy forcing myself to praise the pictures, saying they were good, and thanking her, Hee-yeon noona was staring at the magazine with a strange smile.

"Th-thank you for your hard work."

I never want to do an interview again.

The time passed so painfully that I felt like I might develop a stomachache I didn’t have before, but finally, the interview came to an end.

I need to get home and collapse.

I don’t need anything right now, not even women.

Why does this feel more exhausting than playing a full 90-minute match?

At that moment, the reporter noona, who had been acting a bit fidgety, asked me in a suggestive tone,

"Um, Min-jun,"

"Yes?"

"If you’re free, how about dinner…? My treat."

"Oh."

Dinner, huh.

Normally, I’d never turn down an after-interview invitation from a pretty noona, but today’s different. I’m too tired. I just want to go home.

I was about to politely decline when suddenly Hee-yeon noona jumped in.

"Oh, dinner. Sounds good. Let’s go, Min-jun."

"...Okay."

As the interview neared its end, Su-yeon grew more anxious.

This was such a hard-earned opportunity.

The editor-in-chief had yelled at her to secure the interview quickly, threatening to remove her from her desk if she failed.

The school viewed the magazine as some kind of brainwashing operation with weird ideologies... No, actually, they had accurately assessed the situation, which made them difficult to deal with.

Convincing the school had been a struggle.

She was sick of pretending to be a feminist, and the school had said that unless she was "properly" dressed up, there would be no interview, so she had to put in an effort to look decent… But she had cut her hair too short, so there were very few styles she could try.

In the end, she had to go with a bob cut, which she didn’t even like, on the recommendation of the hairdresser, and since it had been years since she’d last done proper makeup, she had to make do with whatever products she could find.

She couldn’t recall a time when she had worked this hard for something, and finally, she had secured the interview spot.

That woman who tagged along almost made her lose her cool with her sharp attitude, but Su-yeon managed to hold it together and finish the interview by focusing on the cute face of the soccer player.

The problem was...

'Damn… How am I supposed to get that hand gesture photo?'

That damn hand gesture.

The photo that her editor-in-chief had been so insistent on. That was the real issue.

She felt pathetic for stressing over such a ridiculous request, but what could she do? If your boss tells you to jump, you jump. That’s the life of an employee.

‘If only that woman wasn’t here, I could figure something out.’

Su-yeon’s gaze landed on the woman reclining on the sofa, filing her nails.

Blonde hair, a well-toned body from regular exercise, and a fresh face brimming with the youthfulness of her twenties.

‘It’s so annoying. I shouldn’t have wasted time pretending to be a feminist. I used to be popular in my twenties too! Well, I’m still in my twenties.’

Twenty-nine.

The age when a sense of crisis starts creeping in, and memories of past glory keep resurfacing.

She used to be popular wherever she went. But after joining a feminist company and pretending to be a feminist by keeping her hair short, going bare-faced, and constantly complaining about men, it had already been five years since she last had any sort of romantic connection.

The lost time felt like such a waste, and she was hit by a sudden wave of regret, but the job had to be done.

After the interview, Su-yeon cautiously approached the pretty boy, her emotional refuge, and whispered,

"Hey, Min-jun."

"Yes?"

"If you're free, how about dinner… My treat."

"Oh."

He claimed he didn’t drink, but guys his age were all the same.

A little flirtation over dinner, and before he knew it, he’d be sipping a drink, and once he had one glass, it would all be over.

From the looks of it, he seemed like a lightweight, so after a couple of drinks… all she needed was to get just one shot… just one shot of that hand gesture photo.

Su-yeon ignored the pricking of her conscience as she tried to seduce Min-jun when suddenly,

"Oh, dinner. Sounds good. Let’s go, Min-jun."

That annoying woman jumped in without a second thought.

No way. The way she smirked at Su-yeon… she was definitely doing this on purpose to get in her way.

‘That bitch…!!’

This meant war.

Su-yeon had held back so far because she was dealing with an interview subject, but now she would show this woman the true power of a grown woman.

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