Chapter 34 : “Are you trying to flirt with me?”
: Hi, are you available for a call?
: Can you call me in 5 minutes?
: Sure, no problem.
Hoo—
He took a deep breath. His heart was racing as he tried to grasp the fact that he had won the grand prize.
Feeling unusually nervous, he took a few more deep breaths to calm down. After repeating this several times, he began to feel his excitement settling.
Pop-!
At that moment, his phone lit up with an incoming call. He calmly answered.
“I’m here.”
– Hi! This is Park Sujeong from the contest. I’m calling to let you know that you’ve won the grand prize.
“I see. Thank you.”
– Oh… yes! We’re really grateful to have such a great work.
His calm response seemed to surprise her a bit.
But that didn’t last long; she quickly got down to business.
– Let me start by explaining the award ceremony.
“Award ceremony? Is that something you usually do?”
– No, this is the first time. Since this contest is so big, we decided to hold a ceremony and invite the authors.
“Hmm. I see.”
How annoying.
This was his honest reaction. He wasn’t keen on being in the spotlight on stage.
Wouldn’t a good promotion and a phone call be enough? It wasn’t like they didn’t know web novel authors’ personalities.
“Do I really have to attend?”
– Yes, it’s mandatory.
“What if I don’t attend?”
– We’ll have to discuss it internally, but in the worst case, your award might be canceled.
They were stricter than he expected.
It seemed she was ready for this kind of question. After all, a ceremony without the winner would be hard to pull off.
‘It’s not the worst thing.’
It was a chance to see what a big company’s award ceremony looked like and to meet other authors.
Since he often described royal events in his novels, experiencing this could be useful.
“What’s the schedule?”
– It’s on the same day as the contest announcement. We’ll be broadcasting it live online.
“It’s a bit sudden. I’m sure many authors don’t like showing their faces?”
– Oh, you don’t need to worry. If you prefer, you can have someone else accept the award for you.
Hmm.
If that’s the case, attending the ceremony might not be necessary. He briefly considered this, but Park Sujeong continued as if she anticipated his thoughts.
– The higher-ups have different views from us… I barely managed to convince them that proxy awards wouldn’t be accepted. So, we’d really appreciate it if you could attend and make it special.
“You’ve had a tough time.”
– Ahaha… Thank you for understanding.
Understanding or not.
He had faced many tough situations through various part-time jobs, and he knew it wasn’t just about customers.
– He doesn’t have any sense of responsibility.
– I told you not to do that!
– This is why you’ll always be stuck with part-time jobs.
Many bosses didn’t even pay minimum wage but acted like they were doing him a favor. People who would forget their own instructions and get angry.
That wasn’t all. Whenever he shared military stories, people always responded with, “Does that even make sense?” He had been through a lot.
Because of that, he could sense Park Sujeong’s frustration just from her voice.
‘The person stuck in the middle always has it the hardest.’
He decided to see it as just another high-stakes job. After all, he was also in a contract marriage with Bada—how much harder could this be?
From an image-building perspective, it wasn’t a bad move. A son-in-law appearing on a major company’s broadcast would look better than someone semi-unemployed with no standout work.
“I’ll attend.”
– Thanks! We’ll send the schedule and invitation by courier. If you need anything for the party, like a dress, we can also provide rentals…
Once he confirmed he would attend, Park Sujeong started explaining excitedly. It was clear she felt a lot of pressure as the coordinator.
After all, if <Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage > didn’t win the grand prize despite its outstanding success, it would damage the contest’s reputation.
– If you’d like, you can bring a partner.
“A partner?”
– Yes, there’s a party for the authors after the award ceremony. Have you heard of ‘Author’s Night’?
“I’ve just heard of it.”
N@ver hosts a party every year for webtoon and web novel authors. One of these parties is called ‘Author’s Night,’ and this year, they’re combining it with the award ceremony.
“It’s not mandatory, right?”
– No, but it would be great if you could bring someone. We really encourage it!
Park Sujeong emphasized this, probably because of his grand prize win. Whether he liked it or not, he would be one of the most noticed people at the event.
“Can it be anyone?”
– Well… we’d prefer if it wasn’t someone from a publishing company.
That made sense.
From the platform’s perspective, signing contracts directly with top authors is beneficial. They probably want to avoid other publishers’ staff poaching their writers.
– Do you have any other questions?
“No, I’m good.”
– Alright. If you think of anything else or need help later, just call this number!
“Thanks.”
Click—
After a few polite words, he ended the call and lay down on the bed to sort his thoughts.
‘A partner…’
The only person who came to mind was Kang Bada. But would she actually want to attend such an event? She must have her own schedule.
‘I should at least ask.’
If she’s too busy, he could go alone. It was better than not asking and finding out later.
After a brief thought, he pressed the number 1 button to call Kang Bada.
* * *
“Welcome, please show your invitation and ID…”
Click—
Park Sujeong, who had been speaking automatically, froze. She stared, wide-eyed, at the man and woman handing over their IDs.
‘I-it’s the Princess!’
Kang Bada had recently become famous as the real-life model for the princess character in <Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage>.
As a longtime fan, Park Sujeong recognized her immediately.
‘…The camera can’t capture that beauty.’
She had seen many social media celebrities, but most were “makeup + lighting + Photoshop.”
But Kang Bada was different. In person, she was even more vibrant and beautiful than in her Instagram photos. The pictures she had admired now seemed lackluster.
Moreover, while most of her photos were expressionless, she now had a small smile that made her look even more radiant.
‘And she’s dressed so well.’
The dress code for the ceremony was ‘Semi-Formal,’ a mix of formal and casual.
Kang Bada wore a black dress that showed her shoulders. It wasn’t overly revealing but had an elegant charm that drew attention.
‘But who is that person?’
The man next to her was impressive too. Anyone standing next to Kang Bada would seem overshadowed, but his presence didn’t fade at all.
Who could he be?
It was the first time Park Sujeong had seen him.
‘No way…’
Park Sujeong quickly ran through the list of attendees in her mind. There was only one person who seemed likely to come to the award ceremony with the princess.
“Could it be you, the Bookworm?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wow.”
Her surprise slipped out before she could catch herself. Realizing her slip, Park Sujeong quickly shut her mouth.
She had hoped Kang Bada would show up when she asked Kim Ha-neul to bring a partner, but she didn’t really think it would happen.
‘…I’m so glad I’m still here!’
With the last-minute instructions to get the award ceremony ready, she’d spent days working on budgets and inviting authors. Seeing it all come together made her so emotional she almost cried.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes! Of course, I’m fine! You’re confirmed. I’ll personally guide you both!”
“Manager!?”
A flustered voice came from the back, but now was the moment to grab any bit of authority she could.
Park Sujeong turned to the back, giving an unspoken signal to step aside. Her team members reluctantly turned away with pained expressions.
“We can manage on our own if necessary…”
“No! These are the grand prize winners. They can’t go on their own. Please, let me guide them personally!”
“Well, okay then.”
Kim Ha-neul, usually calm and collected, was caught off guard by Park Sujeong’s insistence and nodded without thinking. For a moment, Kang Bada’s gaze grew intense, but…
“Excuse me, could I have a handshake?”
“Sorry?”
Park Sujeong suddenly reached out her hand to Kang Bada instead of Kim Ha-neul, leaving Kang Bada puzzled.
“I’ve been a fan of Kang Bada-nim since you had under 1,000 followers! I also love your pets—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter! I’m a manager on the fan cafe ‘Bada Story’…”
“Hold on a second!”
As Park Sujeong went on, Kang Bada, startled, quickly took her hand and shook it.
Park Sujeong’s eyes turned red. She then spoke to Kim Ha-neul with a voice choked with emotion.
“I’ll never forget this kindness!”
“…”
Kim Ha-neul was left speechless by Park Sujeong’s unpredictable behavior.
.
.
.
“She’s quite a character.”
“She seems like a huge fan of Bada-ssi.”
“There must be others like her.”
“Wow, a celebrity!”
“…Are you joking with me?”
Kang Bada shot Kim Ha-neul a playful glare. Kim Ha-neul shrugged and said:
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“No problem. Actually, this is my first time at a party like this, so I was curious about what it’s like.”
“First time?”
“I was totally left out of group politics. I wasn’t allowed to attend any social events.”
Kang Bada’s face showed a touch of bitterness. Seeing this, Kim Ha-neul realized Kang Bada had endured more than she thought.
As if sensing Kim Ha-neul’s thoughts, Kang Bada quickly looked up and waved her hands.
“Don’t get me wrong. Thanks to that, I’ve managed to live fairly normally. I’m actually grateful for it.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“And it’s thanks to you, Ha-neul-ssi. I get to wear a dress like this now.”
Kang Bada slightly tilted her body, making her cleavage stand out more.
Kim Ha-neul found her gaze drawn in. Maybe because it was such a rare sight, her eyes were naturally drawn to it.
“Hmm~”
“What’s up?”
“I’m just feeling the gaze more than usual today.”
“······.”
Kang Bada knew exactly what that gaze meant. She felt her effort in staying up all night choosing the dress had paid off.
“How do you like my dress?”
“It looks great on you.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
The response came almost automatically. Not getting the answer she wanted, Kang Bada pressed further, making Kim Ha-neul turn away.
“Hm···.”
He looked Kang Bada up and down with a deliberately impassive expression. She flinched under his scrutinizing gaze.
“I’m not an expert on fashion, but within the semi-formal dress code, this is probably the best. The dress boldly exposes both shoulders, highlighting your collarbone. It also covers the chest while leaving the central line open to draw attention…”
“Oh, I get it! Stop already.”
“That aspect actually stimulates the imagination, if I had to sum it up.”
“That’s enough!”
Kang Bada quickly covered Kim Ha-neul’s mouth. Seeing his mischievous smile, she knew he was doing it on purpose. He just wouldn’t stop talking.
Despite being silenced, Kim Ha-neul didn’t know when to quit.
“You look beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
Kim Ha-neul merely smiled softly but didn’t say anything more. This made Kang Bada stubbornly insist.
“Are you trying to flirt with me?”
“Would you like to come over here?”
“······.”
He never misses a chance to tease.
Feeling embarrassed, Kang Bada turned her gaze to the stage. Just then, Park Sujeong took the stage and began speaking.
“First, I’d like to thank everyone for attending today. We will now begin the ‘Best of the Best Contest’ awards ceremony.”
Clap clap clap clap—!
The crowd had filled the space without her noticing. With their enthusiastic applause and cheers, the awards ceremony began.
