Chapter 81

An advertisement was streaming on a roadside billboard.

The first thing that caught the eye was an entirely black dress.

A black dress that perfectly matched the jet-black hair of the wearer.

A woman sleeping in the darkness, much like a fairy.

It was a calm and serene advertisement.

But it had an oddly captivating element.

Some of the passersby turned their gazes toward the ad.

“Who is that?”

“It’s Éclat Étoile. Isn’t this the same ad where Song Hye-bin appeared?”

Women walking while having such conversations.

Then it happened.

A tiny droplet fell on the cheek of the sleeping woman,

as if a small sparkle of starlight descended.

The droplet shimmered as it fell and slowly trickled down her cheek.

At the same time, the girl in the black dress slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes, tinged with red, emitted an enigmatic aura.

This distinct feature was quickly recognized by some viewers.

“Aha! That’s Princess Yeonhwa!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Perfect match. Didn’t she appear on a variety show and shoot ads recently?”

The women kept talking and watched the ad.

As the woman in the black dress opened her eyes, vibrant colors spread around her.

Her drowsy expression gradually awakened, and the elegant black dress slowly transformed into white, sparkling brightly.

Flowers bloomed in the barren space, and the girl slowly looked up at the sky.

A starlit sky full of countless stars.

The starlight.

The woman gazing at it seemed to shine herself.

Her previously tired expression was now beaming brightly.

A radiant smile, akin to a blooming flower, spread beneath the starlight.

Under the dark night sky, the radiant woman caught everyone’s attention due to her strikingly white skin.

Surely, they thought, it’s been retouched.

And yet, eyes couldn’t help but focus on her radiant complexion.

[Make you shine like a starlight]

With this tagline, the Éclat Étoile ad came to an end.

“Starlight”

This was Éclat Étoile’s new slogan.

***

==

Post: I’ve recently changed my skincare product.

(Picture)

Skin tone looks good.

Shines so much.

Comments:

– Where is it from? It looks great, really.

– Yeah, I changed it too, and I’m so satisfied!

– Tell me too. I’m looking to change my skincare.

– It was hard to find decent ones, I finally got this at a shop in Jamsil.

– Is it a new brand? Your skin is SO white! Tell me the brand name.

– Thanks for the compliment!! :>

– Uggghhh!! Tell us the brand already!!!!

– 111111

– 2222222 zzzzz… Stop teasing us. LOL

==

The skincare topic was currently trending in women’s online communities.

Though absurd, humorous threads like these spread across various forums, sparking curiosity about this particular brand.

“That’s Éclat Étoile.”

“How do you know?”

“My sister uses it.”

“Is your sister pretty?”

Éclat Étoile.

The brand had recently changed its advertising model. It ambitiously released three types of essence creams and three types of tone-up creams.

The umbrella term for the cosmetics was “Starlight.”

– The ad looks great.

– Isn’t this Yeonhwa? Her skin really is good.

– It’s all edited.

– Still, the transformation to brightness is impressive.

The drab girl becoming radiant reminded viewers of the transition from a silent black-and-white film to modern cinema. Her shimmering skin perfectly matched the “Starlight” motif.

This translated into increased sales for Éclat Étoile.

And there was more.

In a community unrelated to cosmetics, someone mentioned ‘Seoyeon.’

– I heard actors will appear in ‘Alone Survival’ soon.

– What’s Alone Survival? Some shortened version of Survival Without You?

– If actors are coming, it’ll probably be lame.

– Yeah, totally.

– Actors are super cautious about their appearance, so it’ll be super boring.

– But one of them is a high school girl.

– Suddenly, it’s getting interesting.

– Fact is, ‘Alone Survival’ is actually getting healthier.

– You serious? Just imagining the whining of someone stepping out of their comfort zone gives me a headache.

The community talking about Alone Survival. While the majority of discussions were about internet broadcasting, there were still frequent mentions of variety shows.

Since Alone Survival was a popular broadcast, it was only natural that it would be discussed. It also quickly emerged that the show’s cast included actors from the movie ‘The Chaser.’

– Who’s Seoyeon?

– She plays the convenience store part-timer.

Even the actresses featured in the advertisements only had minor roles—barely considered main characters. The talk of the convenience store part-timer came up.

Recently, there had been discussions about using popularity to boost minor actors. But still, she was just a supporting actor.

Moreover, since Alone Survival was a show where the focus was on guests struggling in harsh environments, there was dissatisfaction over a young actress appearing on it.

– Doesn’t matter since anything uninteresting gets edited out anyway.

– The few scenes they get will probably just be them saying, “I want to go home.”

For hours, discussions about Alone Survival burned fiercely in the community.

Then, the “Papua New Guinea” season premiered.

***

Amidst the controversy, Alone Survival began.

Through the perspective of a man arriving on a deserted island in Papua New Guinea, the story unfolds.

The man? Park Jung-woo.

– Why is he here?

– Wasn’t Park Jung-woo not on the confirmed cast?

The community buzzed at Park Jung-woo’s appearance. After all, Jung-woo isn’t just any actor.

He modeled for international luxury brands, and was often mentioned as the top young talent when discussing young actors.

A successful figure despite shedding his father’s influence.

Skillful at acting? Check. Handsome? Check. Clean personal life? Check.

If anything, his image was slightly rigid because he had too little controversy.

Then someone wondered aloud: why was such a figure participating in Alone Survivor?

Wasn’t this too far out of his wheelhouse?

“Why am I even here…”

Park Jung-woo muttered, echoing the thoughts of many viewers. Alone on the deserted island, he trudged along until he hid in the bushes.

The Alone Survival crew had arrived later than expected, so Jung-woo stayed hidden.

Suddenly, the public reacted with shock to his appearance.

In the midst of all this, Sooyeon, with her wide-open eyes, stood out.

– Oh, they have an existing connection.

– Is this another collaboration like The Moon that Hid the Sun?

– Maybe the chemistry was good from their last variety show.

Mentioning Sooyeon naturally brought up Park Jung-woo.

The Moon that Hid the Sun aside, their recent collaboration on [Past Recollection] had already been widely acclaimed. Thus, Jung-woo’s appearance in Alone Survival seemed somewhat reasonable.

– The production team must have played it smart with their connections.

– Yeah, they’re clever.

Until that point, responses were fairly ordinary.

But then—

“Wh-what’s she doing?”

“Trying to start a fire.”

Suddenly, Sooyeon insisted on starting the fire herself, refusing Jung-woo’s help. Even when they played rock-paper-scissors, she shattered the rock with a scissor move. Viewers thought, “Jung-woo’s letting her have her way.”

But then,

KRAK!!

A branch snapped into pieces, and Sooyeon stared at her own hand in bewilderment.

– Why’d the branch break so easily?

– ? Haha, weird.

Slowly, people started noticing something off.

What with the absurdly fragile branches and Sooyeon’s strange behavior, things felt off.

“Here.”

Sooyeon, using only her fingers, poked a coconut and handed it over.

The viewers watching this, including Jung-woo, looked utterly baffled.

Jung-woo’s eyes flickered between Sooyeon and the coconut in disbelief.

– ??????

– Wasn’t this noticeable from when she picked up the coconut? Is this real?

– They say it’s a “female version” of the coconut.

– Does a woman’s coconut have a different shell?

– Stop making stupid excuses.

The cast didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.

Only Jung-woo, the cameraman, and the audience were fully aware of this bizarre phenomenon.

“This is a spear.”

“Ah, sure.”

“Want to catch some fish?”

Suddenly, it became apparent: Sooyeon had been wandering around with a spear she made earlier.

Her determination to catch fish, or perhaps wild animals, was evident.

Jung-woo looked exhausted, constantly trying to rein Sooyeon in. Essentially, he had become her babysitter.

The broadcast continued with unexpected scenes.

Seoyeon, once energized, behaved like a wild horse.

Racing through dense forests.

“Hey!! If you climb that tree, you’ll…!!”

“There’s some fruit over here!”

“That fruit’s poisonous!”

Sooyeon even scaled trees.

“Do you see any wild boar around?”

“If you do, run!”

“I feel like I can beat it!”

The jungles were her playground.

– What’s going on here?

– Is this real?

– Everyone else looks tired. Why is she so energetic? Does she even rest when the cameras are off?

– Even if she rested, no one could move around like this.

She resembled an ecstatic retriever dog.

Jung-woo, tagging along, looked nearly dead.

Most alarming of all was the fact Sooyeon maintained such vibrant energy despite all her running around.

– Fact: Seoyeon is getting healthier.

– Enough already.

Then came the mission.

“We’ve prepared a task for you all to earn dinner.”

The declaration came from PD Shin Young-woo.

It was a regular staple on Alone Survival.

“High up in this island’s tallest mountain, we’ve placed a flag.”

Simply put, whoever claimed the flag first would secure a special evening meal.

One participant per team, and though the mountain wasn’t excessively high, walking through a tropical forest can still be exhausting.

Jung-woo immediately bowed out.

But Sooyeon?

“Can I carry the camera?”

This startled the cameraman responsible for capturing Sooyeon’s antics.

“Huh?”

“I’ll be running, and I thought maybe it would be tiring for you.”

Though her energy was commendable, could she really sprint through the jungle?

‘Doesn’t seem impossible.’

Spectators, including the cameraman, briefly considered it. But the camera was heavy! Surely she wouldn’t be able to manage it while running?

“Umm, this won’t work… How about this?”

Instead, the cameraman handed over a small camera, one that was lighter and more portable.

“I’ll be back soon!”

“Wait, what?”

The mission had already begun. Another guest, Park Hi-jun, had already sprinted off.

“Not even a goodbye!”

In less time than it took to question her decision, Sooyeon had vanished.

– She’s insane, running around like that.

– Why even ask for a camera? She’s just going to run!

The scene captured by the camera revealed little. With edited footage, the clips of her running mostly featured a fleeting glimpse of her bright, smiling face.

“Uh, Miss Sooyeon, when did you arrive?”

“Just now.”

First to arrive was Sooyeon.

Second came Park Hi-jun who, despite being accompanied by the cameraman, lagged behind.

He had no clue that Sooyeon would arrive ahead of him. Of course, considering his special forces background, this came as a surprise.

– You’d better memorize this: High School Girl > Special Forces Soldier.

– Ridiculous.

Regardless, Sooyeon triumphed gloriously in the challenge and enjoyed a delicious evening meal.

During the following week’s episode of Alone Survival: Papua New Guinea Chapter 2, her performance remained similarly impressive.

– Why isn’t her skin tanned?

– Wasn’t she running around all the time?

Gradually, the audience started noticing something new.

Sooyeon’s porcelain complexion.

Even the other participants were curious enough to ask.

“Sooyeon, your skin hasn’t darkened at all! What skincare products do you use? Please share.”

Upon learning the question from the sole female cast member, Baeck Ha-yoon, Sooyeon hesitated for a moment, considering whether to divulge the secret.

She finally decided against explicitly naming the brand.

“I starred in an ad, didn’t I?”

With that, she left the matter alone.

And so, once Alone Survival concluded, the impact of her glowing skin spread like wildfire.

The one skincare product capable of preserving her radiant complexion amid such extreme conditions belonged to a single brand.

[Starlight]

The new skin care launch from Éclat Étoile.

The moment Alone Survival wrapped up, a sell-out was inevitable across all department stores and Éclat Étoile outlets.

At the same time, the ascent of a new advertising sensation began.

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