Chapter 198

Seoyeon was extremely limited in the places she could visit alone.

She managed to have dinner at a nearby McDonald’s.

It was fine since she could somehow communicate even without speaking, through a kiosk.

Deciding where to go next, Seoyeon hesitated for a moment.

“I’ve already seen Akihabara plenty of times.”

Though she wanted to explore some second-hand stores and wander around, she knew that whenever she saw something she liked, she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

Seoyeon was well-aware of her impulsive personality when it came to her interests.

So, she decided not to expose herself to such temptations in advance.

“I need to go somewhere other than Akihabara today!”

She was alone, but there was something oddly exhilarating about the day, leading her towards the train station.

As for where to go, Shibuya came to her mind.

“It’s a place with plenty to see.”

Though the Pokémon Center in Shibuya wasn’t particularly large, Seoyeon had set her eyes on visiting it. Hence, she boarded the subway heading to Shibuya.

Considering that most of her trip until now had been an otaku-centric journey, it felt refreshing to engage in relatively normal window shopping.

If Sora had been there, she might have wondered why Seoyeon hadn’t done this earlier.

“This should be a present for Dad.”

Seoyeon knew that Young-bin liked Pokémon, so as she wandered around the shop, she thought about picking something up for him.

Suddenly, she caught sight of two women dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion walking past her.

They had rather attractive faces.

Though she had seen similar styles a few times in Akihabara, each sighting still felt surprising.

“Wow, people really dress like this in Japan.”

Thinking how amazing it was, Seoyeon moved on, only to hear a voice.

“There are always so many people here every time I come.”

“There’s nothing much to see anyway. Let’s go downstairs to the Lush store.”

“This is all about sensibility, though.”

Turning her head unconsciously, Seoyeon realized the voice she had heard wasn’t Japanese but Korean.

“Ah, they’re Korean?”

This was truly unexpected—she didn’t think Koreans would be touring while dressed in such outfits.

Curious, Seoyeon subtly followed them with her eyes.

It was clear that this recent subculture trend of “thunder” attire was gaining popularity.

“Why on earth?”

Were these people unusual, or perhaps this style felt similar to cosplay?

While contemplating this, as Seoyeon moved one floor down from the Pokémon Center, something caught her eye.

“Huh?”

It was a store selling the exact kind of outfits that the women she had seen earlier were wearing—”thunder Gothic Lolita” attire.

“Amazing.”

The sight of such a shop selling unconventional clothing surrounded by regular stores drew her attention.

Driven purely by curiosity, even though Seoyeon was an otaku, her interest involuntarily piqued.

Approaching the shop quietly, she realized that someone was staring at her oddly.

“Why? Why?”

Even though her face was mostly covered by a mask, was there someone who recognized her?

“But even if they did, I’ve only appeared once on a variety show.”

Even if that had been a hot topic, surely more people didn’t know her. She was wearing a black mask and had styled her hair differently. She usually wore it down on TV but now had tied it into two braids.

At first, she thought it might be a misunderstanding, but the persistent glances as she browsed through the clothes irritated her.

Of course, the people around her didn’t actually recognize her.

Still,

“Seriously? Wow, this is no joke.”

“Do those contact lenses glow? Where did you buy them? Should I ask?”

“The clothes themselves look normal enough. Maybe she has experience?”

Seoyeon’s glowing red eyes and her iconic black mask drew attention as she had tied her hair into two braids.

Even though her outfit itself was normal, she came across as a budding “thunder girl” with her striking gaze, pale skin, and overall appearance.

Even though part of her face was covered by the black mask, her beauty was undeniable.

Naturally, even the shop attendant couldn’t help but notice her presence.

“Are you looking for a particular outfit?”

As the attendant casually approached and asked, Seoyeon stared blankly.

“What did they just say?”

Though Seoyeon didn’t fully understand Japanese, she could get the rough gist.

“Clothes… are they asking if I’m looking for them?”

Still, the problem was that even if she inferred what was said, she had no idea how to respond.

“Mata seta na? Dame na? No, what should I say?”

Recalling how she’d been scolded by Sora and Eun-ha after saying “Hey, onna” at a convenience store, she remembered that “onna” and “kisama” were strictly forbidden.

In fact, she had been repeatedly warned not to open her mouth at all.

Why was that, though? Seoyeon had just said exactly what she’d heard in the anime.

“Uh.”

Since Seoyeon didn’t respond, the attendant tentatively spoke again.

“Are you Korean?”

“…Do you speak Korean?”

“Of course! I love Korean idols. I often visit Korea, too.”

Her slight lisp aside, her Korean was quite proficient. The shop attendant took a liking to Seoyeon.

“Besides, she’s pretty, right?”

Additionally, her voice was pleasant.

“Maybe… a celebrity? Nah, that’s unlikely.”

Naturally, it never crossed the attendant’s mind that a Korean celebrity would come to such a niche shop.

Still, the attendant really wanted to see Seoyeon in the clothes sold at her shop.

Thus, she began employing all her sales skills.

“Since you already have red contact lenses, the outfit would really complement…”

“They’re not contacts.”

“What?”

The attendant looked at Seoyeon’s eyes.

“Huh, those red eyes aren’t contacts?”

“Then they’re natural?”

Could that possibly be true?

While the attendant was curious about whether this was possible, she felt a pang of envy.

“To have red eyes naturally, without contacts—it’s admirable.”

Being personally fond of the black hair and red eyes aesthetic, the attendant couldn’t help but envy such beautiful eyes.

“Isn’t it such a waste, customer?”

“Huh?”

“To have such talent and not express it seems like a loss to me!”

“Are red eyes considered talent?” Seoyeon thought to herself.

More importantly, what kind of talent was this?

A talent for being a “thunder girl”?

If that counted as talent, it wasn’t exactly something she cherished.

Nevertheless, once the floodgates opened, the attendant’s speech flowed like a machine gun.

“Korean customers often buy from here.”

“This kind of outfit is uncommon in Korea, I assume. A cultural difference?”

“Anyway, that’s why, while you’re in Japan, it’s like liberating yourself. How does it look? Don’t you find it pretty? Wouldn’t you want to try it on? It’d be quite hard to wear it in Korea, right? But while you’re in Japan, trying something new might be fun!”

The rapid-fire suggestions from the attendant made Seoyeon think it had merit.

Indeed, such outfits were hard to wear in Korea…

“Could this be useful when disguising myself?”

Given that this was her trip in Japan, trying something different from what she’d done in Korea seemed fine. While it wasn’t cosplay, this style did resonate with her creative sensibilities.

As the attendant kept saying it would be such a pity to pass this up, Seoyeon caught glimpses of other nearby women subtly agreeing.

She began to feel that not trying it would be a waste.

“Maybe I should give it a shot?”

With how easily persuaded she was, that was what roughly happened about an hour ago.

***

“Uh.”

Seoyoen was starting to notice how people around her were looking.

Truthfully, at first, it was all rather fun.

The attendant had excitedly helped her pick out clothes, and conveniently, an accessories store nearby had perfect gothic additions.

Black Gothic Lolita attire, a black mask, and her hair tied neatly into two braids with gothic-style hairpins completed the ensemble.

Even when she stood in front of the mirror, everyone around her marveled at how well it all fit her. Up to that point, everything was good.

Thrilled to have tried everything on, she carried her previous outfit now stored in a paper bag as she stepped out onto the streets of Shibuya.

“What have I done?”

She finally came to her senses, realizing she had fallen for the sales pitch.

However, looking at her reflection in the café window—it really suited her.

“Of course, I’m beautiful.”

An indulgent thought crossed her mind.

No, that wasn’t the issue.

Ultimately, Seoyeon regretted the decision.

“It’s fine, I guess. This is an experience.”

Attempting to convince herself, she sighed deeply.

At the very least, she was sure no one recognized her as Seoyeon Joo.

Yes, that was enough.

Walking with that thought in mind,

“Huh? Huh. Excuse me, are you Ms. Sooyeon Joo?”

The two men who appeared out of nowhere while she was crossing the road startled her.

They spoke Korean, not Japanese.

Trying to figure out who they were, a camera in their hands gave her a clue about their identity.

“Reporter…?”

That’s what she thought, tensing up.

“No, no, we’re journalists! We’re not suspicious people!”

They hastily waved their hands to reassure her.

“Japanese journalists? Could they be paparazzi pretending not to be?”

Either way, it didn’t matter much to Seoyon.

What mattered now was that these people had figured out she was Seoyeon Joo.

Additionally, worse still, she was dressed as a “thunder girl”!

If anyone found out, it would surely spread quickly back in Korea, undoubtedly damaging her image as a refined actress.

“Wait…”

Seoyeon reconsidered.

Wasn’t this look better than a gorilla costume?

This style she wore wasn’t much different from the Zero-ro costume Jo Seo-hee had worn in the theme park.

“Besides, this is my first experience in Japan appearing on a variety show…”

Closing her eyes, the image of her appearance from yesterday’s variety show came back to her.

Everyone had praised it as a “genius actor’s brilliant performance,” but the Japanese audience’s first impression of her was as a ghost crawling on the ground.

Seoyeon finally realized: undoing that initial impression would require tremendous effort.

Between a “thunder girl” and a bizarre crawling ghost,

“Who are you?”

Just as she was about to flee at top speed, she paused. If they truly were journalists, maybe it was worth hearing them out.

***

Narumi Sora and Eun-ha woke up in despair.

Seoyeon had disappeared without a trace.

“Should I call her?”

“No, I’ve already called, and she isn’t answering. What on earth is that girl up to?”

At Eun-ha’s words, Sora flinched momentarily. It was too natural for her to blurt out “what on earth.”

However, it was hard to deny that Seoyeon had a tendency to get into trouble.

Whether intentional or not, she had a habit of going out without properly covering her face, unaware of being a celebrity.

Especially in Japan, she walked around openly, thinking no one would recognize her despite her previous media exposure.

“Yesterday’s controversy means someone’s bound to recognize her eventually…”

Eun-ha grew worried.

What if she got into an altercation?

Ironically, Eun-ha wasn’t as much worried about Seoyeon getting into trouble as much as the person causing trouble to her.

Eun-ha knew about Seoyeon’s recent obsession with martial arts manga.

What if she decided to learn martial arts again?

When she lightly inquired about this, Seoyoen confidently replied with anime dialogue,

“Lions don’t need training.”

She said that with a proud grin on her face.

Seoyeon seemed to have no intention of learning martial arts this time around, relieving Eun-ha.

Despite recent concerns about her image, Seoyeon was fundamentally someone who enjoyed powerful things.

If she got into a spat in Japan, she wouldn’t back down.

“Maybe we can check the news? It might give us a clue…”

A flustered Eun-ha suggested this, but Sora quickly calmed herself.

“Manager, that might be a bit excessive…”

How could her managed celebrity end up on the news?

Though it was technically possible, that thought was terrifying.

“Ah, sorry, I panicked and said something ridiculous. But Seoyeon is like a ticking bomb sometimes…”

On the whole, she was generally well-behaved and kind-hearted, but once excited, she lost control.

Especially in Japan, her hobby and interests made her a potential bomb waiting to explode.

“Just try calling her one more time. We shouldn’t risk running around to look for her and get lost…”

By the way, Seoyeon had left a note saying where she was going, saying she’d visit Shibuya.

Curse Shibuya again—it wasn’t even Akihabara.

Hours of unease followed.

The door clicked open at dusk.

“Seoyeon, are you okay…?”

Hastily heading to the hotel entrance, Eun-ha froze, stunned. Sora, drawn by the commotion, also froze at the doorway.

“What happened?”

They had expected Seoyeon to be somewhat unpredictable.

But they hadn’t expected her to return as a “thunder girl.”

“Uh, I just returned from an interview.”

Unexpectedly, Seoyeon suddenly spoke.

“Uh? An interview?”

Surely not in that outfit?

Ironically, the outfit suited her incredibly well.

Too well, which was a problem.

It felt like a manga character had stepped into reality.

“Also, it seems like I’ll appear in a drama, as a cameo.”

The sudden news caused Eun-ha and Sora to freeze completely.

This was entirely unexpected.

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