Chapter 15
“Curious about how celebrities date? The process of celebrities dating. It’s something everyone has wondered about at least once~ Where do celebrities most often lock eyes? The waiting room? A filming set? The practice room? Those are all possibilities, but I think it’s the hair and makeup salon~”
“Who would even say something like that!”
…is what I thought, but as someone who couldn’t predict when or how Cha Wook and Heidi would grow close, this was information I couldn’t ignore.
For the time being, Cha Wook would be using a different salon from the other members, which also meant the others wouldn’t be able to monitor his movements.
My first thought was that I needed to get close to them—close enough to exert at least some influence.
‘I’ll treat today as a light preliminary investigation and get familiar with the layout first.’
I fiddled with the lip balm in my hand. Hopefully, nothing would happen, but it was better to be prepared. I was racking my brain over whose identity I should borrow when the sound of bustling footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts.
I set down the orange juice I’d been sipping and peeked out cautiously.
“Why’d she come today? Wasn’t her appointment tomorrow?”
“Ah… I don’t know.”
The hushed whispers reached my ears.
Following the voices, I saw three or four designers greeting a guest at the entrance. Their expressions were stiff, all of them visibly tense.
“You’re here today?”
One of the designers asked cautiously, and the woman—who had been waiting for this very question—removed her sunglasses.
“Yeah. I came to get some fresh air.”
Her tiny, fist-sized face accentuated her model-like proportions. Every delicate feature on that small face was perfectly arranged—so flawlessly beautiful that even from a distance of at least 100 meters, she was strikingly clear.
It was Heidi.
“Wait. That sounds a little weird. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here today?”
“Huh? N-No! It’s just that your appointment is tomorrow, so I thought maybe you mixed up the dates…”
Heidi smirked as she watched the flustered employee stammer under her icy tone.
“Just kidding. Was my acting too much? You look terrified.”
“Ah, ah… Thank you.”
Heidi glanced at the name tag on the bowing employee’s chest and spoke warmly.
“Miyeon? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. And I’ve been here a few times. Manager Jung, get me a coffee.”
Walking across the lobby with her long, model-like legs, Heidi pointed at Miyeon.
“You’ll bring it to me, right?”
“Ah! Yes. I’ll bring it right away!”
Heidi gave a bright wink before turning away. I unconsciously gaped at her graceful stride before hurriedly shutting my mouth.
Even for a celebrity, seeing Heidi in person made me wonder—why did the details of how she ended up in a scandal even matter?
With a face like that, wasn’t it convincing enough? What more reason did anyone need?
If not for all the derogatory nicknames attached to Heidi, even I might have fallen for her!
“Miyeon. What are you doing? Hurry up and bring it.”
“Yes!”
It seemed the new employee, Miyeon, didn’t get many chances to see celebrities either. Her eyes were as wide as mine as she stared at Heidi’s retreating figure before darting off to the break room.
Manager Jung, who had been watching her with a dark expression, also left after receiving an urgent call.
Seizing the moment, I headed to the break room and hastily applied my lip balm.
This wasn’t the situation I’d hoped for, but it was a good opportunity to observe Heidi up close.
‘Rumors are rampant, but her real personality might be different. There could be misunderstandings.’
Before blindly trying to stop her from getting close to Cha Wook, I needed to understand her first.
Given Miyeon’s position as a junior employee, she wouldn’t be able to linger near Heidi for long, but since this role wasn’t particularly risky, it should be fine.
“Miyeon.”
“Huh? Who are you? You’re not supposed to be in here.”
“From now on, to you, I am Manager Jung Haena.”
“……”
Once Miyeon recognized me as Manager Jung, she loaded the drink tray onto a trolley.
“Miyeon. I’ll take this to Heidi. You go to the shampoo room right now.”
“Huh? You’re going yourself?”
Though her face was full of questions, she was quick to comply. Handing the trolley to me, she headed to the shampoo room.
‘I need to hurry before she comes back.’
If Miyeon returned from the shampoo room, things would get complicated.
I wiped my lips clean, reapplied the lip balm, and took on Miyeon’s appearance.
Pulling the trolley, I rushed toward Heidi’s assigned room when a familiar silhouette caught my eye in the chaotic blur of my vision.
The back of a head wearing a snapback looked oddly familiar.
Drawn to the unusually small head—rare in real life—I barely had time to register it before the noisy sound of wheels, out of place in the quiet salon, made the man turn.
The navy blue sweatshirt that emphasized his broad shoulders and back seemed strangely familiar. And the moment I realized it was the same shirt one of Nevergain’s members had worn recently, our eyes met as I brushed past him.
“Do…”
Do Eunseok?
Even as I stared at him with wide eyes, my feet kept moving.
Why is Do Eunseok at this salon?
Wait. If Do Eunseok is here, does that mean Cha Wook is coming too?
Suppressing the train of thoughts, I quickly averted my gaze. The longer I looked at him, the more intently Eunseok stared back.
“……”
What’s with him? It’s kind of unsettling.
Has he never seen an employee pushing a trolley before?
Feeling oddly guilty, I glanced around. Everyone else seemed to regard me as just another natural part of the salon staff, nothing out of the ordinary.
‘I’m not even doing anything bad, so why do I feel like a thief with a guilty conscience?’
Just in case Eunseok tried to say something, I sped up, my heart racing.
First, get to Heidi quickly!
Knock, knock.
There was no answer to my careful knock.
“Excuse me.”
This time, I made a louder noise before pushing open the door and wheeling the trolley inside.
No response. I thought she might be asleep, but—
Heidi, deeply reclined in her chair with her legs crossed, was absorbed in her phone. Her body was so slender and small that she might as well have been swallowed by the chair.
I guess this is what it takes to be a celebrity.
“Heidi. I’ve brought your orange juice.”
The moment I set the tall glass in front of her, Heidi suddenly burst into laughter.
“Look at this.”
“…Yes?”
Stunned by the sudden sarcasm, I blinked. Heidi sighed as if exasperated.
“How old are you? Just turned twenty? Twenty-one?”
Good question. How old is she…?
“Do you think working life is easy, Miyeon?”
“What do you mean…?”
“If you’re already like this, what’ll you do later? You seem way too absent-minded at work.”
“Did I… make some kind of mistake?”
“Miyeon. I have a superstition. If I wake up in a good mood, something terrible always happens. And today, I woke up feeling really good.”
Heidi blew on her nails.
“I thought maybe today would break that streak. But.”
Uncrossing her legs and slowly standing up, Heidi picked up the glass of juice.
“You ruined it, you brat.”
I expected her to bring the glass to her lips—but instead, she tilted it violently.
Straight toward my face.
