I Returned as a High School Girl

Chapter 48: Commercial Model (2)

The gears in Kang Ra-Eun’s head turned at an astonishing rate to guess why Ji Han-Seok was here. Something flashed in her mind.

“Is it a coffee commercial?” she asked.

Han-Seok was impressed by Ra-Eun’s sharp intellect.

“You sure are quick-witted, Ra-Eun. I didn’t think you’d be able to guess why I was here right away.”

She had guessed that Han-Seok was here to offer her a coffee commercial because Do-Dam Group had recently announced that they would sell their new lineup of coffee products in convenience stores. Ra-Eun happened to see the news in an article. Since Han-Seok had close ties to Do-Dam Group and Chief Jung had called him a client, her thoughts naturally went to coffee.

Han-Seok handed Ra-Eun his card.

“This is publicly a secret, but I’m somewhat of a director in the company as well.”

The young director, Ji Han-Seok. Chief Jung told Ra-Eun about what had happened not long ago.

“Han-Seok showed up in the meeting that I had set up with Do-Dam Group. I asked him what he was doing here, and it turned out that he was Chairman Ji Seong-Geum’s grandson.”

Chief Jung had only just found out Han-Seok’s family circumstances. Ra-Eun recalled her past memories for a moment.

‘From what I remember, Ji Han-Seok was not only acknowledged for his acting skills, but also for his company management skills.’

He was especially exceptional in marketing. Not only did he have the skills, but recruiting celebrities to be commercial models was likely much easier thanks to the connections that he had made during his time in the entertainment industry. He knew exactly how to make use of such connections for marketing their products.

Han-Seok’s pick this time was Ra-Eun, the highly popular rookie actress as of late.

“I thought that your image went very well with coffee,” Han-Seok expressed.

That was the biggest reason why he chose Ra-Eun. Someone with an urban image like Ra-Eun was a perfect fit for a coffee commercial. It was not only Han-Seok who had felt that way.

“Several people in the company mentioned you as well, so I told them that I’d try asking you.”

Ra-Eun had already thought of Do-Dam Group very favorably, because they would be helping in her revenge in the future. This commercial offer would consolidate her connection with Do-Dam Group.

“What do you say? Would you like to hear more?” Han-Seok asked.

Ra-Eun answered without hesitation, “Yes, I’d love to.”

***

After discussing the commercial in more detail, Ra-Eun signed a contract to finalize the commercial model offer. She had realized something during the process.

‘No wonder celebrities always go on and on about commercials.’

The pay was insane. The drama appearance fee per episode was considerably high, but the commercial fee could only be described as a single harsh blow to the stomach. It was an astronomical amount for a minor like Ra-Eun to lay her hands on. At first, she was thinking of taking on this offer no matter what to consolidate her connection with Do-Dam Group, but...

‘Money is also very important.’

She needed business funds by the time that she became an adult, so she had to make as much money as possible. The money that she would gain from shows and commercials would be of great help to her grand scheme of revenge. The more money she had, the better.

Ra-Eun was driven home by Yu-Bin. She entered her home to come across Kang Ra-Hyuk changing out of his military uniform.

She scowled and said, “Don’t change in the living room. You’re rotting my eyes.”

“Sorry, I thought you’d be at Starlight Road since you weren’t home.”

“But why are you so late? I thought you had student reserve duty training.”

Student reserve duty training ended much faster than reservist mobilization training. One could be discharged early if they did well, but Ra-Hyuk had come back home at around 5 PM despite that.

“It usually ends around this time,” Ra-Hyuk remarked.

“Bullshit. You just failed to get discharged early.”

Those who were judged to be excellent in target shooting or in attitude during training were allowed to be discharged around one to two hours before the general discharge time. The hurdle was not as high as one would think it was. One just needed to be loud during training. If they couldn’t, then they just needed to do well in target shooting.

Ra-Hyuk had failed in both cases. He was shocked by how his little sister even knew about early discharge.

.

“How do you even know about the early discharge?”

Ra-Eun possessed enough army knowledge to be worthy of the nickname ‘active duty high school girl.’

“That’s just basic knowledge. In any case... I’m too lazy to make dinner, so let’s just order in. How does fried chicken sound?” Ra-Eun mentioned.

They were both in the high income bracket; Ra-Hyuk through stock trading, and Ra-Eun through her work in the entertainment industry. They could easily order a box of fried chicken per day without a dent in their bank account.

“I’m down, but is that alright with you?” Ra-Hyuk asked.

“Me? What’s there not to be alright about?”

“Well, you see actresses on TV living off of chicken breasts, salads, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuff like that to stay lean. Especially when they’re in the middle of film shoots.”

That was the norm, since weight management was crucial for an actor. However, Ra-Eun was an exception. Not only did she love exercising...

“I don’t gain much weight no matter how much I eat,” Ra-Eun declared proudly.

Her attitude was born out of her envy toward such people in her past life, since they could eat as much as they wanted. However, she had ended up attaining the metabolism that she had dreamed of after having returned to the past as a high school girl. Not only that, she didn’t have to go to the army either.

‘I guess being a high school girl has its good points.’

She was riddled with inconveniences at first, but things were rather nice after some time getting used to.

***

The day of the commercial shoot arrived. Photo shoots of her with the product that would also be added to the website were scheduled before the video shoots. Attires of her size that emphasized the urban feel were lined up.

The first attire that she wore was a suit for women. Even her make-up emphasized simplicity rather than extravagance. Ra-Eun examined herself in front of a full-length mirror while wearing the black suit.

‘I gotta admit... I’m pretty.’

It felt a bit weird to say such a thing about herself, but she was not wrong. The hairstylist fixed Ra-Eun’s sleek, straight hair with a comb.

The photographer asked Ra-Eun, who was standing in front of the camera, for a casual pose.

“You can try any pose that you want, so give it a shot.”

“Can I really do as I like?” she asked.

“Yes, you just standing there is already a work of art.”

The photographer was dead serious. He had taken photos of countless celebrities over the years, but he had never met someone as photogenic as Ra-Eun. He could tell why she was all the rage lately.

Snap, snap!

The camera shutter snapped in succession.

The photographer then asked Ra-Eun, “Could you turn your head to the side a little? Yes, that’s perfect.”

Her side view that displayed her sharp jawline and well-defined facial features was as beautiful as her frontal view.

“Let’s take some with you holding the product this time.”

Do-Dam Group had released three different coffee drink products: americano black, hazelnut, and sweet milk tea latte. The product that matched her current attire was without a doubt the americano black.

The photo shoot resumed with Ra-Eun holding the product. The studio echoed with the sound of the camera shutter.

Ra-Eun had to change her attire to match the product. She would be changing into something with slightly lighter colors for hazelnut compared to americano black, and something that gave off a bright and fresh feel for sweet milk tea latte. Ra-Eun needed to change at least five times today, but she showed no signs of fatigue.

Han-Seok visited the studio to cheer Ra-Eun on and to check whether the shoot was progressing smoothly. Amazed by her lack of fatigue, he asked, “Aren’t you tired, Ra-Eun? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ra-Eun nodded at the thoughtful Han-Seok.

“Yes, this is nothing. I’ve already been trained for this by Reaper.”

The number of times that Ra-Eun needed to change per episode of Reaper?surpassed one’s imagination. One could easily imagine how difficult her shoots were, since the program director had revealed that they had spent hundreds of millions of won in just clothing fees.

It was not just an issue of changing clothes. Ra-Eun also needed to change her make-up, hair and accessories with every change in attire. There were times when changing attires took longer than the time that she spent acting in front of the camera. After a series of such experiences, she had become an attire-changing specialist.

Just then, the hairstylist asked Ra-Eun, “What do you think about going for a bob cut or a short cut in the future, Ra-Eun? I think short hair would also look great on you.”

Ra-Eun had also wanted to cut this damn long hair, but...

“I have my reasons for keeping it long.”

She had wanted to cut her hair countless times, such as during the hot summer and when her hair fluttered around from the wind. However, her memories with her mother dissuaded her from doing so. Although such memories meant nothing to the current Kang Ra-Eun, the original owner of her body probably would not allow such a thing to happen.

Hence, she had been keeping her hair as it was. It was her way of showing courtesy to the original Ra-Eun, as well as the only way that the current Ra-Eun knew how to respect her.

‘For God’s sake... I’ve really gone soft.’

She never would have considered such a thing in the past. After returning as a high school girl, her fierce personality had gotten a lot milder. However, it was only milder compared to her past personality. Objectively speaking, no one could deny the fact that Ra-Eun was as tough as always.