“Your friend is in the study.”
“The study?”
Hyunsoo asked again, surprised by the unexpected location.
“How kind, she’s helping me with my English while waiting. I was really nervous practicing with an American after a long time, but she made me feel comfortable. How did you get to know her?”
“Ah…”
Since Mom is still not used to English, she has been steadily taking online classes for the past year.
Like Hyunsoo in the past, she struggled with conversation despite having good English skills, so having a native speaker to practice with was a great help.
‘I’m really grateful… but who on earth came?’
Even though it was his own house, Hyunsoo quietly headed to the study, trying not to make any noise.
“Huh?”
A woman with short, dark rose-colored hair was waiting there.
“Hi!”
As soon as she heard someone coming, she stood up with a bright smile.
Hyunsoo recognized her immediately upon seeing her face.
“…Angela?”
“We briefly greeted each other on Friday, right? It’s so nice to see you!”
Angela hugged Hyunsoo tightly.
“Huh? Uh…”
Though it’s a very common greeting in America, Hyunsoo was at a loss for what to do since it was the first time he had hugged someone of the opposite sex who wasn’t family.
‘Hmm, mimicking Angela by wrapping my arms around her feels embarrassing. Putting my hand on her shoulder looks weird. And I can’t hold her waist, right? Isn’t that a sensitive area?’
Hyunsoo, who had only experienced physical contact through media, had countless thoughts in that brief moment, but his mom, who came into the study a bit later, was no help.
“Oh my! Look at me. I was going to go grocery shopping before your father came home… I’ll be back in an hour, so don’t worry.”
“…”
Mom backed out of the room. As she closed the door, their eyes met, and seeing her very pleased smile made Hyunsoo break out in a cold sweat.
‘A perfect physique is not very helpful in times like this.’
“Your mother is so cute! At first, I thought she was your noona just by looking at her appearance… but she’s your mother. Asian genes are really something.”
“Is that so?”
If Jessie had the elegance of British royalty despite her young age, Angela was lively and charming like a Korean girl group member seen on entertainment shows, with a remarkable ability to get along with others.
“What kind of cosmetics does she use? What’s her care routine? No, I’ll just ask her directly the next time I visit.”
“You’re coming again?”
“Do you not like it? But what can you do… I’ve already become best friends with your mom? Let’s see each other often. You can even call me Aunt Angela specially.”
“Hahaha.”
Her emerald eyes were full of mischief. Seeing her cheeky expression, Hyunsoo, who had met countless people, couldn’t help but laugh.
-A MeTuber obsessed with views is scarier than a stalker?
Recalling Jessie’s warning, Hyunsoo tried to stay cautious, but as the conversation continued, he found himself lowering his guard naturally.
‘She’s really something at such a young age. I should learn from her.’
Come to think of it, Angela, who had no prior acquaintance, suddenly visiting his house should have been off-putting, but the initial discomfort had long disappeared.
“So, Aunt Angela? What’s the reason you came to see me today?”
“What’s this? Are you trying to kick me out already? I was excited to meet someone I get along with after a long time… was it just me?”
“Um, it’s not about kicking you out. Didn’t you come for something? MeTube?”
“What? You think I came for business? Then why would I come to your house? I just wanted to get to know you better, overcoming my shyness to come here, and now I feel embarrassed.”
Hyunsoo laughed again at Angela’s playful performance.
“Oh, so it’s not business? The recent video did so well that I thought it would be fun to make content together again, but if not, it can’t be helped.”
Then Angela, as if she hadn’t just said that, grabbed Hyunsoo’s hand quickly.
“Huh?? No, of course, it would be great to work together! Actually, I have good content in mind, and I’m glad you’re interested! We need to shoot it right away while the response is good. As a follow-up to the recent video…”
Finally revealing her true intentions, Angela started chatting excitedly but suddenly stopped.
Seeing Hyunsoo’s expression for a moment, she realized she had been maneuvered.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. You were just probing, huh? Geez. Kids these days are so cunning. You shouldn’t play tricks on your aunt. You’ve been hanging out with Jessie too much.”
“Jessie did warn me to be cautious.”
“What? She even gave you a warning? What’s wrong with me??”
When Hyunsoo relayed his conversation with Jessie, Angela’s eyes took on a peculiar look. It was very satisfying, yet, if misunderstood, she might look like a pervert. No other expression came to mind.
“Ah, Jessie tried to drive a wedge between us. Well, it’s about time she got worried that my affection might cool down.”
“…?? How do you come to that conclusion?”
“There are things in the adult world that kids can’t understand. Actually, I’ve been obsessed with Jessie. She’s exactly my type, so I tried to win her over for three years, but she’s quite the iron wall, never lowering her guard.”
“Ah…”
“But it seems she got anxious thinking I might be interested in you, seeing as she said that. She’s a complete perfectionist and never lets go of what’s in her hands.”
“Ah… I see.”
‘Is she joking seriously, or seriously joking…?’
No matter how experienced Hyunsoo was, he was a novice in this field(?).
Unable to discern her true feelings, he decided to just listen passively…
Angela seemed to have completely misunderstood his complex expression.
“Are you heartbroken because I said I like Jessie? No need for that. I’m actually bi(=Bisexual). If I had to choose, I like men more than women~ So don’t worry in advance.”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t worried about that at all, so let’s stop with that misunderstanding.”
“Hahaha, you’re cute.”
The atmosphere could have turned awkward after that, but Angela nonchalantly handed over her phone.
“Hmm?”
“Hyun, can you give me your number?”
“Hmm… why?”
“This time, it’s business.”
Although Hyunsoo still had some doubts, it turned out to be business after all.
‘So that’s why she came.’
Angela sent an electronic contract to his phone.
“It’s a standard contract reviewed by the board. I got permission to film MeTube at school with free classes, and the approved condition was to fairly compensate the students who appear.”
“Ah, so that’s why you came?”
“Well, partly.”
Having seen many contracts, Hyunsoo quickly skimmed through and understood its contents.
‘It’s a very student-friendly contract.’
There were no elements of loss, and the terms were much more favorable than the industry average at this time.
“You don’t have to sign it right away, so take your time. I tailored it to the S-grade, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“So there are grades for each contract?”
“Of course. For students who just appear as background, a participation consent is enough, and for those with a bit more prominence, it’s an extra grade. Only for key figures like you or Lloyd do we offer conditions like these.”
Angela also pointed out the essential clauses. Her professional demeanor, contrasting with her previous behavior, was quite surprising.
‘She’s not a top MeTuber for nothing.’
She was an impressive person.
“The payment is based on the accumulated views one month after the video is uploaded. With the S-grade ratio, it will be about 2,000 dollars.”
“Oh?”
Although the video did well, getting around 2.4 million won for one appearance was impressive. Hyunsoo, who had earned much larger sums, could remain composed, but for an ordinary student, it was a very tempting offer.
‘No wonder Lloyd agreed to appear even knowing he’d be criticized.’
As time passed, the public opinion would die down, but the money would remain.
“This is just the appearance fee. If we create content together later, the revenue share will be much higher.”
“Not bad.”
Despite being a considerable amount for a student, Angela’s professional approach left a good impression on Hyunsoo.
It meant she had more passion for the video itself than the money. If she proposed content again, he was willing to seriously consider it.
But Angela wrapped things up neatly and stood up.
“Thanks for taking the time even though I visited suddenly today.”
“Oh, no. Thanks for helping my mom. She really enjoyed it.”
“I had more fun. By the way, I wanted to thank you as well. Thanks to you, we got a great video. If you need a favor, I’d consider it at least once.”
Angela packed her things and headed towards the front door. Hyunsoo followed to see her off.
At the door, she spoke seriously.
“I’m an expensive girl, so you don’t need to worry too much about what Jessie said. I am obsessed with views, but I don’t bother people. Bye.”
Angela approached Hyunsoo to say goodbye. Since it was the second hug, he opened his arms with a calm expression.
Smooch -
“…?!!”
Expecting a hug, Angela instead kissed Hyunsoo on the cheek.
Even Hyunsoo, quick-witted as he was, had his mind go blank for a moment.
“Contact me.”
Angela whispered softly in his ear and left.
Jessie’s warning was right.
‘She’s a dangerous girl.’
Hyunsoo closed the front door, sighing deeply.
Friday morning.
Two weeks had passed since the semester began.
It was the day elite students presented their free class plans to the board.
Hyunsoo was waiting for his turn in front of the conference room.
Unlike other students who only took one free class, Hyunsoo had to present and answer questions for three plans, so his turn was pushed to the last.
“Are you well prepared?”
Jessie stopped by for a final check.
“Of course.”
Hyunsoo answered confidently. He had experience giving more professional presentations in front of larger audiences.
“I like that confidence. As long as you don’t get intimidated, the presentation will be fine. There are some board members who like to nitpick students, but with your speaking skills, it won’t be a problem. We meticulously prepared the plans, so they can’t find faults.”
“Thanks.”
Just then, the secretary opened the conference room door and came out.
-Hyun? Hyun student, please come in.
“It looks like it’s my turn. I’ll be off then.”
“Do well. If even one gets a re-evaluation, you’re dead.”
“Haha, got it.”
In the conference room, there were three board members in total and the secretary who guided them, making it four people.
“Hello, I’m Hyun.”
“Please start right away.”
“…Alright. First, I’ll distribute the lesson plans.”
‘Usually, there’s some small talk to create a friendly atmosphere before starting, but it seems they’re in a hurry to finish since it’s taking too long?’
Hyunsoo had a brief thought but proceeded with the presentation without concern.
The first plan was approved quickly.
“You’ve applied for a special music class with Mr. Alberto?”
“Yes. I thought it was a great opportunity and registered immediately.”
For the free class, students didn’t have to create a new curriculum. Many elite students preferred to take existing school classes and request specific support.
Especially Alberto’s class was so popular among music elites that even first-year students had to wait until their third year to take it.
‘But with the free class option, you can take it immediately.’
“This one is approved right away. The second one is physical education? For someone with high academic standards, you seem quite interested in arts and sports?”
“That’s right. I wanted to focus on areas I’ve neglected.”
“Hmm… but the curriculum seems to follow the communal classes?”
As the board member pointed out, it was true. Communal classes for regular students were mainly basic physical training, and usually, when selecting physical education for the free class, students chose a specific specialty.
Since the free class only lasted one semester, it was designed to focus on developing one area intensively. The school would then provide the necessary support.
But Hyunsoo planned to stick to the communal class itself.
“Since the communal class covers various sports, I thought the curriculum was sufficient. I wrote the plan, thinking I could conduct more diverse training if I could use the school’s facilities separately.”
“Hmm… We’ll put this on hold for a moment. Let’s hear the presentation for the third free subject and then come back to this.”
“…Yes? Okay.”
Hyunsoo realized at this point that something had gone awry.
