Love for Love's Sake - Chapter 19
Chapter 19
“Photography assistant. Carrying equipment and cameras on scene?”
“Uh, ehm. Mostly studio shoots, but hey, there’s also outdoor shoots.”
“Is it paid daily? How much?”
“Well, $115.”
“That’s fine. I’ll do it.”
After asking Ahn Gyeonghun about the arrangements, it turned out the boss who would be hiring me was his younger sister. She needed a photography assistant and porter for an online shopping mall. The conditions seemed better than I expected.
“Have you done this kind of work before?”
My potential employer asked right away. It wasn’t a common job for a high school student, so my willingness to do it without questioning probably seemed suspicious. Unlike Ahn Gyeonghun, Ahn Sia seemed skeptical.
She was somewhat similar to Cha Yeowoon.
“What, this kind of work?”
When I was doing everything from delivery to working part-time at a restaurant, it was hard to imagine me not popping in and out of a broadcasting station. It was unlikely to be much different from being a crew member at a broadcasting station or a studio.
“Unless you have an introduction like this, they usually don’t hire minors, you know?”
“Do I look that young to you? Hold on, let me take this call.”
My phone suddenly vibrated, even though there shouldn’t be any calls at this time. To my surprise, it was from Cha Yeowoon.
Cha Yeowoon? At this hour? What was going on? I decided to answer because I didn’t think the call would last long.
“Hey, Yeowoon. Have you eaten?”
I greeted Cha Yeowoon, and suddenly, Ahn Sia, who was sitting in front of me, widened her eyes.
It didn’t stop there; as she leaned against the table, the glasses rattled. She seemed like she wanted to say something but nevertheless remained silent.
What was going on with her? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to end the call and check on her.
– “Are you talking about food as soon as I called? I have already eaten. How about you?”
“Koreans love their meals. I plan to go home and eat after this. Are you resting? By the way, you didn’t go for weekend practice, did you? You collapsed yesterday.”
Ahn Sia, who was on the verge of rushing toward me, was heaving her shoulders up and down. Ahn Gyeonghun appeared to be trying to calm her down. Seriously, what was going on?
– “What does senior think of me? I didn’t go. I’ll rest at home.”
“Good. Good idea. Take a good rest.”
– “By the way, when is the appointment…No, never mind. Senior, please rest too.”
The call was cut off before I could respond. Did he want to ask when the appointment would end? He should have finished his sentence, this brat.
“Do you know Cha Yeowoon?”
As soon as I put my phone down, Ahn Sia rushed toward me. If she was any more excited I thought she would have jumped over the table.
“Sia, c-calm down…”
“Are you close with Cha Yeowoon? Do you know each other personally?”
Ahn Sia kept mentioning Cha Yeowoon’s name incessantly. I was dumbfounded.
“That’s right, but…Why? Your big brother goes to the same school as Yeowoon.”
Judging by the fact that Cha Yeowoon was an athlete, was Ahn Sia perhaps a fan? Then shouldn’t she have asked Ahn Gyeonghun, not me?
“My big brother is in different year. Besides, Dog Sangwon also said he has never talked to Cha Yeowoon. I asked around with the other children, but not a single one said they were close to him.”
Ahn Sia talked non-stop. Hearing her, I was pretty much convinced. Cha Yeowoon didn’t have any friends.
It was now understandable that in the beginning whenever I asked Ahn Gyeonghun about Cha Yeowoon he would give me short answers.
“Are you close? He called you because you’re close, right?!”
“I slept at his house yesterday…So I guess?”
It was questionable whether I was close to Cha Yeowoon, but I thought I was closer to him than other children who he didn’t speak a word to.
“Awesome.”
Ahn Sia’s eyes twinkled as she covered her mouth in excitement. A noticeable flush appeared on her cheeks.
“That’s awesome. Big brother, can you please let me meet Cha Yeowoon just once?”
One minute it was ‘you,’ now suddenly she was calling me big brother.
“I don’t remember having a little sister.”
“Starting today, you do. Seriously, please. Please. I was looking forward to Cha Yeowoon going to the same high school as my big brother. I became friends with Dog Sangwon because of that, but that unlucky guy doesn’t even mention Cha Yeowoon.”
Ahn Sia clasped her hands together, showing a pleading expression. She must be a real fan.
“He might not want to meet you even if I ask. What are you going to do if you meet him?”
Did she want me to set them up together? Cha Yeowoon was good-looking and they were the same age.
That could be a good idea. I lined them up side by side in my head like a matchmaker.
As in the original , Cha Yeowoon might not feel as lonely once he found someone he liked. As far as I knew, he was the type to get very passionate once that happened.
He might need that kind of passion. My heart ached when I recalled his expression last night when he talked about his parents.
“…I’ll ask for an autograph.”
The response was surprisingly innocent. Ahn Sia’s forehead was flushed. I wondered if I had misheard because that was all she said.
“An autograph?”
“For my sports shoes.”
She looked away from me, transitioning from being bold to being shy. Maybe she was a genuine fan after all.
“Sports shoes, are you running?”
“It’s a hobby. I do cardio to keep my body in shape anyway.”
Despite that, if you idolize someone of similar age, and the person was as good-looking as Cha Yeowoon, wouldn’t you think about dating? I was confident she wouldn’t get rejected if she went out and looked for someone herself.
“I did participate in a competition in middle school, but I got too busy with modeling. Cha Yeowoon was in the same competition. He was really fast. Have big brother seen Cha Yeowoon run? He’s amazing!”
Ahn Sia’s voice grew louder as she spoke, and soon, all the nearby customers were looking our way. After covering her mouth, she finally took a deep breath.
With this much, I had to admit her sincerity. They called it idolism for this kind of thing.
She genuinely seemed to like Cha Yeowoon as a track and field athlete. Well, he was a national-level athlete, so it was natural for him to have passionate fans.