I Returned as a High School Girl

Chapter 99: New Year (2)

Kang Ra-Eun’s schedule was jam-packed even after the finale of Waitress?due to how massive of a hit the drama had been. Even today, she had a radio show scheduled, which she had to get ready for since it was at 11 AM. One thing she at least found fortunate was that it was only an audio recording, so there was no need to be in full make-up.

Ra-Eun only put on basic make-up and headed to the broadcasting station in Shin Yu-Bin’s car. She put on a mask as soon as they arrived at the parking lot. She had no reason to wear a mask in the station since the place was full of people in the same industry as her, but she wore it regardless because the air was highly polluted today.

Yu-Bin said as she took the lead, “It would’ve been a huge problem if an outdoor shoot was scheduled on a day like this.”

“No kidding.”

Indoor shoots were best in bad weather conditions. Ra-Eun walked to the radio studio with Yu-Bin while her hair was fluttering in the wind. She greeted the host of the show, Announcer Jung Min-Ho.

“Good morning, sunbae.”

“Oh, hi, Ra-Eun!”

Ra-Eun and Min-Ho had already met several times, so they were not awkward around each other.

Min-Ho asked Ra-Eun after drinking some water to clear his throat, “I bet you’re gonna be super busy starting next month, huh?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. It’s the end of the year, and the drama you starred in turned out really well. I heard there are tons of directors lined up for you. A writer from our station has been super worried about it.”

“About what?”

“About whether or not they’d be able to cast you.”

Ra-Eun lightly laughed while covering her mouth with her hand. The writer’s worry was not unfounded, since Ra-Eun was at the top of the list of actresses that program directors wanted to cast. The view ratings of anything that she starred in was practically guaranteed to be high.

Even the number of people in Club Allegiance, Ra-Eun’s fan club, multiplied threefold after Waitress. One could easily tell how popular the production had been.

“I heard you also received an invitation to the Drama Awards,” Min-Ho mentioned.

It had not been released to the public, but Announcer Jung already partly knew about information regarding the Drama Awards.

“I have, but I’m not really anticipating getting an award,” Ra-Eun replied.

“I think you will, considering your achievements this year.”

This was not Announcer Jung’s subjective opinion, but something that everyone acknowledged. However, Ra-Eun did not have any large expectations for the awards ceremony. It was not like she had returned to the past to be successful as an actress; she had no reason to be desperate for an award since she had been put in such a situation simply because she didn’t properly fill out her Return Application Form.

‘I’ll just accept whatever they give me.’

Ra-Eun was planning on just going with the flow.

***

Ra-Eun decided to visit a beauty parlor before the Drama Awards ceremony. It would take a huge amount of time to get her make-up, hair and outfit done on the day of the event, so she wanted to get everything that she could do in advance over with.

The hairdresser gave Ra-Eun a suggestion while touching her hair. “Why don’t you try dyeing your hair, Miss Kang?”

“Dyeing my hair?”

“Yes. Your hair is pretty long, so it could give off a gloomy feel if not properly managed. I think dyeing your hair in a brighter tone would also brighten the aura you give off.”

She had been reluctant to do so since she had never dyed her hair back when she was a man, but after much thought...

‘It’s not a bad idea.’

Dyeing her hair was different from revealing her skin or kiss scenes. It was simply changing her hair into a different color. Also, Ra-Eun kind of wanted to try it out. She was never permitted to dye her hair back in her bodyguarding days because she needed to look professional, so she had always been envious whenever she saw her friends with various hair colors.

‘Yeah. When will I ever get the chance, if not now?’

Ra-Eun decided to take this opportunity to do what she had never been able to do in her past life.

“What color do you recommend?” she asked.

“Would you like to see samples?”

The hairdresser’s eyes lit up as soon as Ra-Eun showed interest, and quickly brought her a file folder. There were a myriad of colors; cherry pink, red wine, rose brown, ash blonde, ash gray, and much more.

‘There are tons of different shades just for the color brown.’

Ra-Eun couldn’t quite explain it, but this feeling was not unfamiliar. The shades might look the same in a man’s perspective, but a woman’s eyes could catch even the slightest difference in shades.

“I personally think ash brown would suit you best. What do you think? The color’s also friendly to people dying their hair for the first time.”

It was a fairly bright shade of brown. It certainly looked like a safe choice for beginners.

“If you don’t mind me suggesting a bit more, I think it’d be good to get the ends of your hair slightly permed. Straight looks good and all, but adding a slight wave makes your hair look more voluminous.”

Ra-Eun liked the sound of that. Voluminous hair certainly sounded much better than straight hair.

“I’ll leave it to you, then,” she responded.

She decided to make a bold move since she had already made a resolution to change her image.

***

Seo Yi-Seo heard the sound of the front door opening as she was making dinner. The only ones who knew the door password were herself and Ra-Eun.

“Welcome back, Ra... Eun?”

Yi-Seo doubted her eyes. She knew that Ra-Eun had gone to a beauty parlor, but she became wide-eyed from how much Ra-Eun had changed.

Ra-Eun blushed. “...Does it look weird?”

The hairdressers had said it looked great, but waves of anxiety hit her from the thought that it might not be the case for ordinary people. However, Yi-Seo had not shown such a reaction because she did not like her new look. Rather, it was the complete opposite.

“No, no, no! It looks great! You’re so pretty! It looks way better than your previous style!”

“R-Really?”

“But why did you change your hairstyle all of a sudden?”

Ra-Eun had stuck to the same hairstyle for the last three years. However, something had brought about a change of heart, and Yi-Seo could not take her eyes off of her friend.

“No reason. The hairdresser just asked me if I’d be up to dyeing my hair, and I changed my hairstyle to what best fit that color while I was at it,” Ra-Eun responded.

She kept touching her hair because she was not yet used to it. She couldn’t help but feel awkward because this was her first time trying out a hairstyle like this.

“You’re gonna be so beautiful in your dress for the Drama Awards.”

Yi-Seo already couldn’t wait for the day to come, but Ra-Eun was nervous about how the public would react to her new look. She could only find out once the day arrived.

***

Ra-Eun attended the ceremony wearing a purple dress with an open back. People frantically pressed the camera shutters as she stepped on the red carpet with Ji Han-Seok escorting her. Han-Seok had also been shocked by Ra-Eun’s new look. She was already beautiful, but he could not focus on anything else after her charm had increased twofold.

Ra-Eun and Han-Seok stood in front of the backdrop together. After a short photo time, a female reporter approached them with a mic. Her attention was naturally focused on Ra-Eun.

“You’re so beautiful today, Miss Kang!”

“Thank you very much.”

Ra-Eun didn’t forget to cover her upper chest with her hand as she slightly bowed. She had at first bowed to greet people without this action, so people’s gazes naturally shifted to her exposed cleavage. She had finally gotten into the habit after Yu-Bin nagged her to no end to cover it with her hand.

“I believe this is the first time you’ve changed your hairstyle. It’s not because of something personal, is it?” the reporter asked.

A girl changing her hairstyle was a big deal. There were times when women were asked if they had broken up with their lover if they cut their hair short. However, Ra-Eun did not put much meaning into her hair.

“I just wanted to try a new look.”

She had no reason. It was truly a Ra-Eun-like answer.

***

Ra-Eun pulled out her smartphone from her handbag as soon as she entered the ceremony venue. Kang Ra-Hyuk, Yi-Seo, Seo Yi-Jun, and her other acquaintances were sending her texts of their thoughts and cheers. There were far too many to reply to them all.

As she was looking through her texts, Han-Seok said as he turned his head toward the stage, “Looks like it’s starting.”

Like he had said, music started playing with the change of the lighting. After a short performance, the host introduced himself and explained how the awards ceremony would progress.

There were various award categories: Best New Actor/Actress, Best Writer, Best Couple, Friendship Award, Achievement Award, Netizen Award, and many more.

‘This is why it takes hours to film the ceremony.’

Ra-Eun was only hoping for it to be over soon because she had no interest in winning an award. She thought about playing a mobile game, but couldn’t because of the cameras that filmed her from time to time.

After much time passed...

“Next up, let’s meet the nominees of the Top Excellence in Acting Award!”

“Let us take a look together on the screen!”

Before getting to the Grand Prize, the nominees for the Top Excellence in Acting Award were revealed one by one. The last of the seven nominees caught people’s attention.

[Kang Ra-Eun - Waitress]

“You’re on the screen, Ra-Eun!” Han-Seok exclaimed.

“Me?”

Ra-Eun belatedly noticed that her performance was playing on the screen. The drama Waitress had already swept five categories, such as Best Writer, Viewer’s Choice Drama, and so on. If Ra-Eun won Top Excellence in Acting here, Waitress?would have swept six categories.

“I will now announce the results. The Top Excellence in Acting Award goes to...!” the host paused on purpose, and then exclaimed, “Miss Kang Ra-Eun! Congratulations!”

Ra-Eun, who had been thinking about spending the time playing mobile games until just now, had no choice but to walk up to the stage with an awkward smile.

‘Shit. I haven’t even prepared a speech.’

She was smiling on the outside, but her brain was in full overdrive.