Chapter 42: As If!

The Next Morning. ‘Lee Yeon-hwa Hair Studio.’

“Yeon-hwa unni, you’re working way too hard again!”

One of the employees directed this comment at Director Lee Yeon-hwa. The other staff, gathered around, all nodded in agreement.

“Of course, I have to work hard. How can I just do things half-heartedly?”

Yeon-hwa responded nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Unni, these days, promotion is really important.”

“That’s right. You don’t do any promotion at all.”

“Especially now that this is a salon exclusively for celebrities!”

“We should at least post on OutStar, start a blog series, or maybe film some content for MubeTube… Something organized for promotion would be ideal…”

“Hmm…”

While the objections were loud and clear, even Yeon-hwa, who tried to act composed, was inwardly aware of these issues.

Money.

The root problem was, as always, money.

Yeon-hwa had worked incredibly hard to gain her current skills. Driven by the single determination to become an expert, she had traveled abroad, learning advanced techniques. Eventually, she achieved her goal.

However, upon returning to Korea, she was met with the harsh realities of running a business. Gaining skills was one thing, but attracting customers and running a successful operation was a whole different challenge—like the difference between heaven and earth.

She couldn’t attract enough customers.

With fewer customers, there were fewer opportunities to showcase her skills.

“Unni, we’re always doing great things for our clients. It’s not bad, but wouldn’t it be nice if it benefited us too?”

“That’s so true! They get their hair done by us, go out and snag a guy, get married, have kids, and build their lives! And here we are!”

Yeon-hwa sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

“…That’s why we decided to make our hair studio exclusive to celebrities, didn’t we? Our skills are too good to be wasted on the general public, and only celebrities can afford our high fees.”

“That’s why promotion is even more important! Unni, the entertainment industry revolves entirely around connections. Seriously.”

Yeon-hwa had to agree, at least to some extent.

Building the skills to work on celebrities’ hair was one thing, but bringing those celebrities in was a whole other challenge. How could she have connections, having spent all her time abroad focused on her craft?

“Hmm…”

While Yeon-hwa could personally bear the financial loss, she now had several employees to think about. Naturally, she felt a sense of responsibility.

One of the employees clenched their fist with determination.

“Unni, regulars! We need to cultivate regular customers!”

“Regulars?”

“Yes! Regulars! Recently, one of the top hair salons in Cheongdam-dong urgently hired an assistant, right? I went there and observed their methods. They’ve locked in their celebrity clients tightly!”

“…Locked them in?”

“Yes! They completely capture their hearts. Wherever those celebrities go, they can’t help but brag about the salon. It’s like putting a bell around a cat’s neck.”

The employee continued to passionately explain. While cutting their clients’ hair, they’d strike up friendly conversations, serve refreshments, and go above and beyond with attentive service.

Yeon-hwa nodded in understanding.

“Coincidentally, we have a celebrity appointment scheduled for today…”

“Really? Seriously? Here at our salon?”

“Yes. Remember the customer who came for a piercing last time? Turns out they were a stylist. Apparently, the word got around, and it reached a celebrity.”

“Which celebrity? It doesn’t matter! We have to get them! Absolutely must!”

“I understand the need for regulars, but…”

Yeon-hwa scratched her head.

“Which one of us is going to put the bell on the cat’s neck?”

There was a moment of silence.

In truth, as the saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together.” This salon had become a gathering place for shy hairdressers centered around Yeon-hwa.

Why were they all so skilled?

Because they were timid… spending their days practicing on wigs instead of interacting with people, finding that far easier.

Just as the silence seemed to stretch indefinitely, one of them shouted.

“If we work together, it’ll be fine! I noticed other places don’t do things alone either! If three people claim there’s a tiger, people will believe it—psychology works like that!”

“Yes, yes! We’ll back you up!”

“A celebrity! We have to make them a regular no matter what!”

At that moment, the door burst open, and a group entered.

Leading the way were PD Choi Heewon and writer Lee Geum-sook, followed by the production team of Special Task Force 808 and their stylists.

The group stood as if forming a fence, and their mere presence exuded an intimidating aura, as if they intended to scrutinize every move made by the hair designers.

Yeon-hwa glanced around.

One staff member was pretending to do something else, another was reading a magazine, and yet another had started cleaning without being asked.

“…These little brats?”

Lastly, a woman entered.

“Hello.”

A low voice. As soon as Yeon-hwa made eye contact with her—

“Ah, ah, hello! I’ll do my best today…”

Yeon-hwa instinctively bowed deeply.

She also realized something.

Mice are naturally incapable of putting a bell on a cat’s neck.

“It feels like I’ve been kidnapped,” thought Lee Sua at first.

Sitting on a chair in the hair studio, she felt overwhelmed by the number of onlookers.

Among them were PD Choi Heewon, writer Lee Geum-sook, and about ten stylists she had never even met before.

What they had in common was that they were all staring intently at Sua’s face.

Honestly, it was quite overwhelming.

Swish—

The cold dye touched her cheek at that moment.

Glancing sideways, Sua realized it wasn’t intentional. The salon director’s hands were visibly trembling.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll wipe that off right away.”

“Take your time.”

However, the director’s hands moved even faster. The stylists, observing with arms crossed, chimed in one by one.

“Please make sure her hair stays as healthy as possible.”

“Y-Yes, of course…”

“Did you mix the dye properly? It doesn’t seem to be applying well.”

“It’s because her hair is naturally so oil-free…”

“How long will it take for the color to fully show?”

“Well, you’ll need to wait a few days and wash your hair a couple of times…”

Lee Sua occasionally glanced at the salon director’s face through the mirror. Each time she looked, the director’s face seemed to age ten years. Meanwhile, PD Choi Heewon approached Sua, holding a tablet.

He displayed a variety of visuals on the tablet screen.

“Here’s what you might look like in a masculine disguise. With CG adjustments for the chest and hips, it might feel something like this. And this is Kim Yuhan, whose identity will be revealed, prepared here at the salon.”

Sua observed without blinking. It was absolutely fascinating.

It was exciting to see how she might appear in the actual shoot. Strangely, even though she was looking at herself, it felt like watching someone entirely different.

Or like she was transforming into someone else. It was a fresh experience.

“It’s like looking at a character concept book. Really amazing.”

Once PD Choi Heewon finished explaining Kim Yuhan’s external appearance, writer Lee Geum-sook approached to elaborate on the “inner” side of the character.

“These are the scripts we’ll use for the shoot. It’s a lot, right?”

She smiled awkwardly at Sua, and understandably so. The pile of scripts stacked on the floor reached up to Sua’s thighs.

“Honestly, as a writer, I feel embarrassed. Not only did I deliver the script late, but the amount is overwhelming too. I always feel sorry yet grateful to you, Sua.”

Of course, Sua wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

Whether the script was long or short didn’t matter to her—it all ended with a single read-through. Moreover, Special Task Force 808 was an exciting project to work on.

So, she nodded calmly.

“It’s great to have a lot of inspiration. Please give me everything as soon as you write it.”

“Sua…”

Was there any statement more heartwarming to a writer than hearing someone ask for more scripts? Lee Geum-sook gazed at Sua with even greater admiration.

Next to her, PD Choi Heewon added his explanation.

“Kang Cheol, the strict principled character, is represented by black, while Kim Yuhan, who can be influenced by anything, is represented by white. We’ll emphasize this contrast.”

“Exactly. And as you’ll see in the scripts, Sua, there’s a break in the middle where you can step away for some rest. So, ultimately, you’ll only appear in about half the episodes—around ten.”

Sua blinked unconsciously.

Ten episodes? At 4 million won per episode, that meant she would earn a total of 40 million won.

“It’s fun… and I get paid too…?”

Sua pondered seriously. Was this really okay? Isn’t life supposed to be about doing things you don’t want to do in order to earn money?

What had she been doing with her life until now?

At that moment, writer Lee Geum-sook’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it briefly before slipping it back into her pocket, but the notifications kept coming.

Not just two or three times—several times in a row.

“Ah, goodness. Life really is busy, busy.”

It sounded like she might sigh and collapse at any moment, but writer Lee Geum-sook’s face was unexpectedly cheerful. She even smiled warmly at Sua.

“The other actors message me every morning. They say they’re going to give it their all. This is all thanks to you, Sua.”

“…?”

Me? Why is that because of me?

But by now, Sua’s response had become automatic.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You’re aware of it yourself, huh? The tension you brought to the mock shoot was a big help. Everyone’s working their hardest because of it.”

From then on, Sua was inundated with compliments, requests, encouragement, gratitude, and explanations. Time flew by like water rushing through a stream.

Finally, when the shampooing and drying were complete, Sua’s freshly dyed white hair was revealed to the world. A small beauty mark was even drawn under her eye.

“Oh…”

A dazed sound escaped—it came from the salon director.

She wore a slightly dumbfounded expression that anyone could understand. It was the face of someone who hadn’t expected such a result, not even herself.

No words were exchanged between Lee Geum-sook and PD Choi Heewon. They merely glanced at each other briefly before turning to Sua.

“Sua…”

“Sua…”

At the same time, they gave her a confident thumbs-up.

So Sua did the same—with both hands.