In This Life, I Want an Oscar, Not a Husband - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This life, I choose The Oscars over a husband.
Chapter 40

“It’s because your outfit is beautiful.”
I studied my reflection in the mirror.
The garment Kang Ye-reum had created perfectly absorbed every hint I’d given her.
A translucent ballerina skirt, a pale gray top.
Contrasting sharply with that feminine aesthetic were the distressed pale gray denim jacket and chunky boots scattered throughout.
And crowning it all was a pink ribbon woven through my hair.
The overall effect seemed discordant at first glance, yet somehow it all harmonized beautifully.
‘As expected.’
She has impeccable taste.
Her skill at pairing items that seemingly shouldn’t work together was truly exceptional.
Even ordinary clothing became something special once it passed through Kang Ye-reum’s hands.
“That’s only because you helped me. Thank you for being part of my graduation collection, friend.”
Kang Ye-reum spoke those words while gently touching my hair, braided with the ribbon, and adjusting my outfit.
I could sense a subtle wistfulness in her expression.
“Are you sad about graduating?”
“A little sad, but also… I’m wondering how I’ll even survive after this.”
“You got accepted to K Materials.”
That was true. Kang Ye-reum had already been accepted as an intern at K Materials.
“Come on, you know how it is. Fashion industry salaries are notoriously low. Ugh, and honestly, I’m not even sure anymore if fashion is really what I want to do. I love wearing clothes, but I don’t think I have any talent for making them.”
Kang Ye-reum’s expression grew slightly clouded.
I pressed both my palms against her cheeks, puffing them out like a pufferfish.
“There’s no one as talented as you. You’ve been spotted at Seoul Fashion Week since high school, every single time.”
“That’s just because I was matching clothes that already existed.”
“Is that easy? Everyone else struggles with that and can’t do it. Hey, don’t worry. Think about it calmly from now on. Whether what you really want is to make clothes, wear them, or even eat them—if you keep going, you’ll figure it out. Besides, what are you worried about? From now on, I’ll make it big as an actress and support you.”
I once wrestled with the same doubts as Kang Ye-reum.
Acting, which I’d stumbled into almost by accident.
I’d questioned whether this path was truly meant for me.
And those very doubts had filled me with self-reproach—wasn’t my lack of certainty proof that I didn’t love acting enough?
But now, having lived one life and returned.
My conclusion is clear: ‘Yes, it was.’
The thing I couldn’t bear to let go of, even while doubting—what else could that be but love?
“Wow, it’s nice having a friend who’s going to be a successful actress, right?”
Kang Ye-reum laughed, playfully patting my backside.
“Hey, by the way, some of my classmates are asking if they can take a photo with you later. Would that be okay?”
I was already surprised by how many people recognized me starting from the makeup room.
Some even asked for my autograph.
Since I didn’t have a proper signature, I just wrote my name in block letters, and for some reason, people seemed to like that too.

“How cute…!”

…What is?
The autograph in block letters?
I don’t really understand it myself.
This is the first time people have reacted to me like this.
Whatever it is.
“It’s not okay. You’re treating everyone to a big meal today.”
When I laughed, Kang Ye-reum laughed too.
“But not a cow.”
“Tch.”
Behind Kang Ye-reum’s brightened face, a loud song blared out.
A beat that resonated all the way to my heart.
From within that sound, a woman who appeared to be a staff member shouted.
“Models, standby!”
“Yes!”
The models and designers answered in unison.
I stood with the other models right beside the runway where the lights were shining.
With the cue signal, models began departing one by one.

‘Do well out there!’

Kang Ye-reum mouthed the words to me.
‘I should be trembling, so why is she shaking like that?’
I stifled a laugh watching Ye-reum’s quivering lips.
Soon, it was my turn.
One more step forward and the runway would begin.
I recalled the research I’d done watching models on YouTube.
I had to bring the outfit to life with expressions and movements that matched its mood as perfectly as possible.
The outfit I wore was a ballerina costume, yet it possessed a tough, edgy allure.
The two seemed contradictory, but they were actually the same.
A ballerina wasn’t simply a delicate profession.
They jumped using every muscle in their body, held themselves steady with insane core strength, and spun with precision.
People simply didn’t realize this because that strength was expressed with grace and beauty.
Not unlike acting, I gradually immersed my body into the character of a ballerina.
I was a ballerina heading to practice.
Boots and a denim jacket over my leotard, awakening every muscle within me for the beautiful stage ahead.
With each step, I would remember my body’s movements and think about applying them to my practice.
I would even consider what expression to wear on stage.
And in doing so, I would feel anticipation.
Because the stage before me would come to mind.
As if I were waiting for my next role, my next film set.
“Model 12. You’re up.”
The staff member called out to me.
I nodded slightly and took my position.
I held my neck upright, expanded my chest as much as possible, and tensed my leg muscles.
Then I took my first step.
Brilliant lights poured down upon me.

* * *

Thump. Thump. Thump.
Park Seo-woo grimaced at the relentless, jarring noise.
He’d come to the Fashion Show Venue on impulse after hearing Maeng Hye-seung’s story, but he regretted it within a minute of arriving.
The Fashion Show Venue was overflowing with garments he found difficult to comprehend.
All the models were tall and slender, but even to his untrained eye, they didn’t seem to carry off the clothes with perfect ease.
Why had he come here anyway?
Just because Ha Eun-rae was performing?
Did he want to become personally close to Ha Eun-rae?
‘That couldn’t be it.’
If he wanted to grow closer to Ha Eun-rae, it was for professional reasons.
Because he wanted to continue working on projects together in the future.
‘Because I hope her career peak will be in one of my films.’
Yet for Ha Eun-rae’s career to flourish, a student fashion show like this seemed far too insignificant.
That was when it happened.
“Oh, there’s Eun-rae.”
Maeng Hye-seung pointed toward the runway.
Sure enough, Ha Eun-rae stood at the starting point of the runway.
The moment he saw Ha Eun-rae, he lost his words.
In fact, he couldn’t speak at all as Ha Eun-rae walked toward him.
Again.
Another version of Ha Eun-rae he’d never seen before.
“Wow… she’s so beautiful…”
Maeng Hye-seung’s words, flowing out like a sigh, didn’t even register with him.
Dressed in a ballerina outfit with a denim jacket and boots layered over it, she was something else entirely.
‘She looks like a real ballerina.’
Her hair was braided in adorable sections here and there, but her expression held not cuteness but confidence and pride.
Like a ballerina gliding across a stage, her face radiated vitality, and her footsteps were light and graceful.
Then the surroundings erupted in murmurs.
“What is that outfit?”
The first thing people said was, “What is that outfit?”
It made sense.
Model Ha Eun-rae was embodying a character that perfectly matched the clothes.
“Isn’t that Ha Eun-rae? She’s incredibly beautiful.”
“Insane. She puts professional model walks to shame.”
“Dude, I’d believe it if you said she was a dance major.”
Of course, her walk and posture couldn’t compare to those of people with years of modeling or dance experience.
Yet admiration poured from people’s lips.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
‘That’s acting.’
True great acting transforms the very air around it.
I create what isn’t there, conjuring an entire false world into existence.
I can drink water that doesn’t exist through mime, and summon characters who have never walked this earth.
It’s nothing short of magic.
So for Ha Eun-rae, transforming herself from a model into a dancer was effortless.
He finally saw Ha Eun-rae’s footsteps come to a halt.
At the end of the runway, Ha Eun-rae stopped and lifted the ribbon wound around her hand toward her face, her fingertips coming alive like a ballerina upon a stage.
The pose was designed to showcase the full silhouette of her body and the garment itself, rather than her face.
Watching her, Park Seo-woo found himself raising the camera without thinking.
Through the viewfinder of the camera he habitually carried, he observed Ha Eun-rae.
Her face, partially veiled by the ribbon, possessed a beauty as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

Click.

The artificial sound of a digital shutter moving within the camera.
With that sound, the false became real, and a fleeting moment of beauty transformed into eternity.
If acting was a momentary spell, then the director was the one who imprisoned that instant forever within the camera’s lens.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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