Chapter 14: First Booth, Second Cosplay, Third Meeting

“Is this where I should put it?”

“Yes, please put it there. I can handle the booth setup from here.”

“Alright. Then I’ll head back to Seoul for now and come back in the evening.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Hayoon bowed, thanking Min Jungyun for his help in getting to Ilsan.

It was her first time coming to a place like this with Min Jungyun.

Especially in a situation where she was planning to cosplay, she never imagined they would come together.

But…

‘If we come together next time, we should have a meal. Maybe I should look for good restaurants in Ilsan.’

Hayoon, who secretly wanted to improve her relationship with her blunt father, didn’t think this was a bad sign. Even if it wasn’t Surfer, going places with her parents would naturally improve their family relationship. Hayoon wished for a more affectionate family relationship in this life.

“Shall I start setting up…”

She took out a vibrant tablecloth and decorated the dull gray folding table provided by the organizers.

Now, she sets up a simple wooden sign that says ‘Haru’ on one side of the table.

Next…

“Mouse pad on the left.”

She uses a small easel she bought online to prop up the long mouse pad featuring a bunny girl HK-M4 lying on a poker table. Propping it up like this, rather than just laying it flat, increases the chances of it catching the eyes of passersby.

“Stand in the center.”

Next is the acrylic stand.

To match the eye level of the mouse pad on the easel, she places the acrylic stand of HK-M4 in a hanbok and kimono on a cube-shaped wooden object she brought from home.

This gives a sense of unity with the mouse pad on the wooden easel, making the design more complete…

“Scroll on the right.”

Finally, she hangs the scroll on the top of the easel, revealing HK-M4 in a swimsuit, completing the table setup.

“The art came out really nicely.”

Hayoon smiled with satisfaction after checking the booth’s appearance with a photo taken from afar.

Should she call it the aesthetics of subtraction?

With only four products, the table might seem empty…

‘But people will fill that empty space.’

Hayoon easily surpassed 10 million won in pre-sales.

There must be a lot of people coming to get the merchandise.

There will be over 200 people, and of course, Hayoon’s booth will always be crowded.

And when that happens…

‘They’ll wonder why my booth is so crowded.’

Then, naturally, their attention will be drawn to the merchandise Hayoon made.

And when that happens?

‘It’s over.’

Only four types of merchandise.

Some might say it’s hardly a booth, but when people are drawn in by the crowd and then see the details of the merchandise displayed…

It’s over.

The desire to buy will soar in an instant.

And Hayoon’s art…

Once you want to buy it, it’s almost impossible to resist the temptation.

“Ha, haha…”

Really.

Isn’t it a perfect plan?

Satisfied with her strategy, Hayoon took the shopping bag with her cosplay props and headed to the changing room.

It was almost time, so she planned to change quickly and get ready.

“I guess I made it on time.”

After finishing her makeup and changing, Hayoon returned to the exhibition hall, now a proper cosplayer.

And the place Hayoon, now beautifully cosplaying, headed to was her booth.

She covered the folding chair provided by the organizers with a black cloth to make it look less cheap, then…

“Now, I just have to wait.”

She leaned her gun against the table, sat on the cloth-covered chair, and started fiddling with her phone.

The time is 9:58 AM.

Early bird ticket holders will start entering at 10 AM, so it’s almost time.

“I wonder how many will come…”

Tick.

Tick.

The sound of the second hand echoed in Hayoon’s head, and not long after…

“Waaaaah!”

“Woooaaaah!”

A loud noise shook the vast KINTEX.

Checking the time, it was exactly 10 AM, and soon the people who would become Hayoon’s customers would come flooding in.

-Tap.

-Taptap.

-Tap.

Sure enough.

Soon, dozens of footsteps echoed, shaking the exhibition hall.

Hayoon put her phone on the table and grabbed her gun to fulfill her duty as a cosplayer.

“Is this pose okay?”

She held the gun close to her chest in a captivating pose.

As if she were from another world.

With a unique appearance that anyone would notice, she calmly stared straight ahead.

“B, Booth F3 is…”

“That way, that way.”

Leaving behind the people busy checking the booth layout on their phones, Hayoon maintained her elegant posture.

Just once, just one time is all it takes.

Once people start to gather, they’ll inevitably wonder, ‘Why is that booth’s line so long?’ or ‘Why is that booth taking pictures with a cosplayer?’

And once their attention is caught, the well-made merchandise will take care of the rest.

Not too much, not too little, just once.

‘Anyone, come, anyone…’

She was confident that once the attention was drawn, with people taking photos and buying merchandise, everything would fall into place.

Just one person, please, Hayoon thought, her eyes darting around without changing her expression…

“Huh?”

Just then, someone stopped across from her, and a surprised voice sounded. This is it.

This man, who will be nineteen in a few days.

This man, who goes by the handle M4BabyGuard in the Girls’ Frontline community.

Dojin Ho clenched his fist.

The slowly moving line finally broke through and started moving rapidly.

Dojin Ho, who had showered and come to Ilsan right after school on Friday to stand in line all night, also had the honor of being in the front line, entering the exhibition hall as part of the advance team.

“Haaah…”

Dojin Ho took a deep breath as soon as he entered the exhibition hall.

In fact, this was the first time for Dojin Ho, who was well-versed in attending fan events, to stand in line all night, not just on the day of the event but the evening before.

He wanted nothing more than to lie down in his bed and sleep, but it was also a moment to feel the reward of enduring the discomfort for so long.

“Let’s get moving.”

After a short rest, Dojin Ho started walking.

There’s an artist he always visits at Surf.

He planned to go there first to pick up the merchandise he had pre-ordered.

Dojin Ho’s Surf always followed a pattern of collection followed by wandering.

First, pick up the pre-ordered merchandise, stash it somewhere with his padding, and then, with a lighter load, take pictures with cosplayers and visit different booths to buy more merchandise.

Dojin Ho, who had been attending the surf for several years, was very satisfied with his strategy, and this year was supposed to be no different.

It was supposed to be no different.

If only there hadn’t been a Girls’ Frontline booth in the spot where his gaze briefly lingered, and if only the operator of that booth hadn’t been cosplaying as Dojin Ho’s favorite character, HK-M4.

“Huh?”

And at that moment.

Lightning struck in Dojin Ho’s mind.

Girls’ Frontline booth.

HK-M4.

And cosplay.

“This is…”

Haru’s booth, which was also promoted in the community.

It has to be.

It has to be…

“Why…”

is she so pretty?

Considering the pathologically detailed elements of the original illustration used to create the merchandise…

Dojin Ho and Haru were clearly ‘kindred spirits’…

But the Haru in front of Dojin Ho’s eyes was the very embodiment of HK-M4.

“Wow…”

He couldn’t help but admire her.

The Surf booth in front of Dojin Ho was nothing special.

No, it even looked rather shabby.

But that shabby booth was transformed by just one cosplayer and a chair covered with a black cloth.

The woman with a strong impression, as if the adjective ‘fierce’ was made for her, and the high-quality cosplay props.

The chair covered with a strangely atmospheric black cloth and the table placed next to it were like…

“Crazy…”

It even made Dojin Ho feel like he had visited the weapons depot in the Girls’ Frontline game.

The cosplayer with a high degree of synchronization, the strangely fitting chair, and the table overwhelmed Dojin Ho with their atmosphere.

“C, can I take a picture with you?”

Dojin Ho, as if possessed, approached Haru and asked for a photo, and Haru.

Hayoon, as if she had been waiting for this reaction, smiled brightly, tilted her head slightly, and struck a pose.

In the process, Hayoon and Dojin Ho’s shoulders slightly touched, and her perfumed hair fluttered in front of his eyes…

“I, I’ll take the picture.”

Dojin Ho, completely overwhelmed by Hayoon’s aura, took a selfie while trembling.

He didn’t even have time to manage his expression.

He was more captivated by Hayoon’s appearance, the embodiment of HK-M4 in front of him, than by how foolish he might look.

And after taking a couple of selfies…

“Ah, the merchandise…”

He remembered the merchandise he had pre-ordered.

He had won the event lottery but hadn’t canceled his pre-order.

His plan was a bit messed up, but he still wanted to get it.

“Um, I, I pre-ordered merchandise from this booth…”

He stammered, revealing that he had pre-ordered merchandise.

“Ah, I see. Can you tell me your name?”

“Dojin Ho!”

Thus, a typical conversation between a booth operator and a pre-order customer ensued.

“Please also tell me your nickname.”

“Huh…?”

Hayoon’s words, like a dagger, made a cold sweat run down Dojin Ho’s back.

“There are quite a few people with the same name since there were many pre-order customers this time. So, you need to provide the community nickname you gave when you participated in the survey to receive the merchandise.”

“Why…?”

“Because we can’t make mistakes in such an important part. It’s not like we have unlimited stock. Giving it to the wrong person would be a disaster.”

“Th, that…”

“That, what…?”

“M, M4… Baby…”

“Baby?”

“Baby… Guard. Sir…”

It was a nickname too vulgar to say in front of a woman.

‘I should have changed my nickname before applying.’

He deeply regretted it.