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| Author: Wanbi |
Original Source: Novelpia |
| Translator: Saloi |
English Source: Re:Library |
Top East Entertainment’s cafeteria.
I was eating lunch with my Seoyoon Unni and Wooa Unni.
Wooa Unni looked at the shrimp tempura I was eating and said,
“I’m so envious of Dohee… she always eats fried food.”
Seoyoon Unni and Wooa Unni were eating chicken breast salad.
“Agreed. We always eat dietary foods whereas only she gets to eat all the tasty food.”
I pinched my side and said,
“But I think I’ve gained a bit of side fat. It used to be that I couldn’t pinch it at all, but now I can.”
When I went to the uniform store and was measured at twenty-three inches, I thought I was skinny, but seeing how I can pinch my waist fat, it seems like there’s some fat to lose.
Wooa Unni grabbed my waist and said,
“Really?”
Seoyoon Unni laughed and said with a smile,
“That’s great! Soon you’ll be eating nothing but grass like the rest of us.”
“No, but doesn’t this look just pretty enough,?”
I admired my body in the mirror as well.
Really.
Of course, my breasts are a bit disappointing.
But it’s still the growth period.
So they’ll grow.
Yeah, they will, definitely.
Seoyoon Unni said,
“Look at me, do you think I have any fat left to lose?”
“Unni, when you sit down your belly fat shows.”
“Hey.”
Actually, I also have a bit of fat when I sit down.
Should I start eating less from now on…
Isn’t twenty-three inches skinny enough?
After lunch, I went down to the third floor and spoke to Team Leader-nim Jeong.
“Team Leader-nim, can I leave work early today?”
“Why?”
“I have a middle school preliminary assembly1 at two PM. Hehe…”
“Oh, really? Go ahead and go.”
“Yes! Goodbye.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
I left the company, stopped by my home, and packed a bag with textbooks.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Do you want Mom to take you?”
“It’s okay, I should go by myself to find out where it is.”
“Alright. Then call me before it ends, and I’ll pick you up in the car. Don’t force yourself to carry all the textbooks.”
“Okay~ I’ll be back~”
I headed to the middle school I would be attending.
Fortunately, I was assigned to my first-choice middle school, which was the closest school I applied for, so I can get there in ten minutes just by walking.
However, it is sad that the middle school is located in the opposite direction from the elementary school I used to go to.
No more holding hands with Doa in the morning…
When I arrived, the school’s exterior was clean.
The playground was also made of artificial turf.
The interior was just as clean as the exterior.
Oh, there’s even a snack shop as well.
For some reason, I have a feeling that I’ll need to go on a diet…
After roughly looking around the facilities, I went into the temporary classroom I was assigned to.
When going into the temporary classroom, the kids were already there and sitting down.
While some kids were chatting with each other, maybe because they came from the same school, there were others who were nervously fiddling with their phones, perhaps because they didn’t have any friends.
But overall, the atmosphere seemed much more relaxed than in elementary school.
I don’t think I’ll have to worry much later on about being harassed in middle school.
I first went to an empty seat by the window.
As I was about to sit down, I noticed that the desks had numbers on them.
Oh, do I have to sit according to the number?
What was my number again?
I checked the school website to find my assigned number, which was eleven, and sat down in the eleventh seat.
At 2 PM, the preliminary assembly time, a young male Teacher-nim came into the classroom.
“Well, hello everyone. Congratulations on becoming middle school students.”
The kids in the class clapped.
The kids must be feeling excited.
“Okay, first we’ll take the aptitude test, but don’t worry, remember the aptitude test has nothing to do with your school grades, so just do your best and relax.”
These days, placement tests are simply called aptitude tests.
“Did everyone bring a special marker? If you don’t have one, raise your hand.”
The Teacher-nim handed out special markers to kids who forgot them and then explained about the OMR answer sheet.
After all the explanations were over, at 2:30 PM, the Teacher-nim distributed the test papers.
“Okay the person in front should pass the papers to the person behind you. The test time is one hour.”
The test papers I received consisted of two subjects, Math and English.
Once I started solving the problems, it was clear that the difficulty level had significantly increased compared to the previous ones.
It seemed like the problems weren’t designed to be completed by everyone but rather to assess our level.
Of course, it felt easy to me, as I had already completed all the advanced materials and had been doing high school third year mock exams for over three years.
Now after the aptitude test was over, I decided to go pick up my textbooks.
Following the Teacher-nim’s instructions, I went to the hallway where the textbooks were piled up like a mountain.
By going in and out of classrooms three times in numerical order, I ended up with fifteen textbooks piled up on my desk.
Without a car, if I were to walk my shoulders will definitely give out under the weight of the textbooks.
Even cramming 12 textbooks into my bag, it was so full that no more could fit.
I guess I’ll have to carry the remaining three books by hand.
I took out my phone and sent a KakaoTalk message to Mom.
[Me: I got all the textbooks. It should be over soon?] [Mom: Okay, I’ll be there right away. Wait inside the school so you don’t get cold.] [Me: Okay]After distributing the textbooks to all the students, the Teacher-nim explained about the changes that will come when they enter middle school.
Class times, schedules, clubs, exams, performance evaluations, and so on.
They also talked about the supplies to bring on the first day of school.
Indoor shoes, indoor shoe bags, writing utensils, locker locks, and two photos of yourself in your school uniform to use as your student IDs, etc.
I have to go to the photo studio later to take an ID photo soon.
.
.
.
When I arrived home, I put down the textbooks, and changed into my school uniform.
“Do you want Mom to go with you?”
“No it’s okay, Doa will come home from school soon, so just stay home. I’ll just take the photos and come back.”
“Alright, got it, make sure to bring back plenty of photos.”
“Oki.”
This is my first time stepping out of the house wearing a school uniform.
I never thought the day would come when I’d wear a school uniform again.
The feeling is strange yet invigorating.
Okay.
Today’s selfie will be a school uniform shot.
After taking selfies every day for about eight months without fail because of my selfie class, I now find myself taking selfies without even thinking about it.
I took a selfie showing a bit of my school uniform and sent it to Manager-nim Soyoung via KakaoTalk.
[Me: (photo)] [Me: (photo) Here’s today’s selfie~] [Manager-nim Jo Soyoung: What! Dohee, you’re wearing a school uniform?] [Me: Yep hehe, this is my first photoshoot today] [Manager-nim Jo Soyoung: Pretty, pretty] [Me: So, is today also a pass??] [Manager-nim Jo Soyoung: No] [Me: ㅠㅠ] [Manager-nim Jo Soyoung: To commemorate wearing a school uniform, take a full-body selfie in front of a mirror, go go!] [Me: Sure, I’ll take another picture and send it to you soon] [Manager-nim Jo Soyoung: Got it~]There should be a full-length mirror at the photo studio.
As I entered the photo studio, the photographer Ahjussi stood up from his seat to greet me.
“Welcome~ Student, are you here to take your ID photo?”
I guess he must have recognized me immediately because I was in my school uniform.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Okay, then first, adjust your hair in front of the mirror over here.”
“Yes.”
First, I should take a selfie.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror and took a photo of my whole body in the mirror and sent it to Manager-nim.
But a thought suddenly occurred to me, Manager-nim might not be able to take better selfies than me now.
Next time, I’ll have to ask her to show me a selfie she took of herself.
The photographer Ahjussi called over to me to see if I was ready to take the photo.
"Student, are you ready?"
"Ah! Just a moment. I’ll finish up right away."
I looked at the mirror and started tidying my hair with a comb placed next to the mirror.
With my long hair, it takes ages to comb through it all.
Should I just cut it short?
Mom and the company both say I look pretty with long hair so I’m letting it grow out for now, but it’s too inconvenient.
It takes forever to wash and dry, it hits my face while dancing, and eating hair that gets stuck in my food is a daily routine. If my hair gets wet from touching the soup, ugh.
Anyways, in short it’s really a hassle.
After I finished tidying my hair, I went to sit in the chair in front of the camera to take the photo.
The photographer Ahjussi said,
"Okay, first, place your hands comfortably on your lap and lift your head slightly."
"Raise the corners of your mouth a little~"
"Okay, I’ll take the photo now."
"Now, let’s take another photo with a neutral expression."
"This time, smile brightly so that your teeth are showing. One, two, three."
"Okay all done. Come here and choose which one you’d like."
Hmm… Since it’s a student ID, maybe a neutral expression would be better.
"Then I’ll go with this one."
"Neutral is pretty, but I think this one with a bright smile is prettier. Let’s go with this one."
If you were going to do that, why did you even ask?
"Okay, then please go with that one."
The photographer Ahjussi finished a simple touch-up and handed me the photo saying,
"By the way, student, you’re very pretty. I’m not just saying that in vain; you’re the prettiest student I’ve ever seen. In modern terms, you’re a goddess, really."
"Ah, thank you."
"So, how about being a model for our photo studio? I’d like to hang up these photos. In return, I won’t charge you for the photoshoot fee."
"Oh, I’m sorry."
"I don’t usually say things like this, but you’re so pretty. Think about it again."
I took out my card and handed it to the photographer Ahjussi, saying.
"No, it’s okay. Please use this for the payment."
The photographer Ahjussi sighed with disappointment and processed the payment.
"I’m really disappointed… You’re always welcome here, so let me know if you change your mind."
"Okay, I understand. Then goodbye."
It's a bit much to be permanently hung up just to save on shooting costs…
Doa must be home by now, and since it’s been a while since I’ve been home, I should hurry and go play with Doa.
.
.
.
Dinner time.
I handed my ID photo to Dad as if I was doing him a favor, saying,
"Dad, here’s the photo I took at the studio today. It’s for you."
Dad, who was so used to me and Mom’s little roleplaying antics, received the photo with trembling hands and said,
"Can Dad really receive such a precious thing?"
"I’m honoring Dad for all his contributions to the family over the years."
"Thank you, my daughter."
"Please cherish it.."
Doa commented from the side,
"Dad is acting weird now."
I tried to ignore her and looked at my ID photo again, saying,
"But honestly, didn’t this ID photo come out really well? Even I think it’s too pretty."
Mom replied,
"That’s because it only shows your face. If they had taken a photo up to your chest, it would be different."
Ah.
I took out my phone and ordered a large quantity of pomegranate2 in bulk from the home shopping app.
I will definitely surpass this.
I will.
