"Done," Kang Bo Ra said as she placed down her tools.
Yeo Ri blinked her eyes at her reflection, feeling as if she had somehow looked different.
"You already look good to begin with, so I just did some touch-ups on your features since headshots are usually very simplistic," Kang Bo Ra said as she fixed Yeo Ri's hair with her finger.
"Come and try this dress, Yeo Ri-ah," Mrs. Choi hollered at the girl, holding a simple white dress. It had a round collar and no embellishments save for a ribbon on the waist.
Yeo Ri compliantly put it on, then went back to the dressing table to get her hair done.
"Should we tie it up or let it down?" Kang Bo Ra asked contemplatively, looking at Park Soo Yeon.
"Hm... Letting it down suits her but putting it up will enhance her neck." Park Soo Yeon gathered Yeo Ri's hair and held it in place with one hand. "See, it looks very sophisticated and kind of sexy, don't you think?"
Kang Bo Ra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, putting it up really does accentuate her features. Look at how long her neck is. Beautiful!"
Yeo Ri smiled helplessly as the two discussed about her looks. She glanced at Gun through the mirror, hoping that he might come and save her from the embarrassment, but her brother was simply enjoying her plight with a slight smile on his face. He looked like a proud mom who was watching her child win an award. She could recall him sporting the exact same look during her middle school graduation day.
Once the two came to an agreement, Kang Bo Ra deftly tied Yeo Ri's hair up into a perfect high ponytail, not a stray strand of hair in sight. Yeo Ri gaped at the woman's practiced hands, thinking that she could never get her hair to look as good as this even if she tried.
"Now let's go, Yeo Ri-ah. The photographer's here already."
Yeo Ri was ushered downstairs.
There was a bunch of equipment stationed around a white backdrop. A lone stool was placed in the middle of the room, and two people were busily adjusting the angle of the lighting.
"Is everything ready?" Park Soo Yeon asked the two.
"Ah, yeah, just a second!" The two people fumbled around for a little while longer. "Hey, is the model here? Can she sit down first? I want to see if the lighting is perfect."
"Yes, yes." Park Soo Yeon nudged Yeo Ri encouragingly, motioning for her to take a seat on the stool.
Yeo Ri glanced at her worriedly as she walked over to the stool hesitantly. She gingerly sat down on the stool and looked around nervously.
Click!
The sound of the camera's shutters could be heard.
"A little more to the left, maybe? The light's kinda skewed—no, no, not that much! Back up a little—perfect!"
Click!
Yeo Ri looked at the person behind the camera with a stunned look. She was confused.
"Ah, hello. You must be the girl that the President brought. What's your name?" The photographer raised his head and smiled amiably at the girl.
"M-my name is Lee Yeo Ri." Yeo Ri played with her fingers nervously. It was quite unnerving to sit in front of a camera alone, especially when the person who was taking her pictures was a professional.
"Yeo Ri? Okay, Yeo Ri, don't look so stiff. I'm Jang Choon Jae and I'll be your photographer today." The photographer introduced himself. His tone was friendly so Yeo Ri found herself relaxing slightly.
"Hello." Yeo Ri flashed him a smile in return.
Click!
"Can you smile again? A little bigger this time—ah, not so big. Turn it down—a little more—no, not like that; don't think of this as school picture day. Think... 'sweet but demure'," the photographer instructed as he clicked on the shutters in a flurry. He moved around, snapping pictures at different sides and angles.
After continuously taking pictures for several minutes, he finally stopped and headed to the desktop where they could see Yeo Ri's shots.
Park Soo Yeon joined him, scrutinising the photos.
"This one looks good, but she still looks very stiff."
"It's her first time, after all. She'll get used to this."
"Oh, this one is really good! What is this, the third shot?"
"Yeah. It was purely by coincidence, but I think it's the best looking one so far. Should we use this one or go on?"
"Hm... let's just take a couple more shots for good measure. It's just a headshot so we don't need to put that much effort. Save your energy and creativity for the concept shoot."
"Mhm. I understand, madam."
Yeo Ri looked over at them, squirming in her seat. She didn't know if it was fine for her to move around so she sat still while they were discussing her photos. Actually, she also wanted to see them.
She glanced at Gun who was also observing the monitor from afar. Although his sight was slightly obstructed by the two people, he could still see what was on the screen if he moved his head slightly to the side.
"Pretty," he mumbled, nodding his head. He agreed that the third shot was definitely Yeo Ri's best one yet.
"Yeo Ri, we're going to take five more pictures, okay?" Jang Choon Jae said. He held up his camera and took exactly five shots of Yeo Ri sitting still. This time, he did not offer any instruction and simply told Yeo Ri to stare at the camera.
Afterwards, they removed the stool and asked Yeo Ri to stand as they took pictures of her figure from all sides.