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Chapter 3
Bzzzz—
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in front of the station.”
“Dad, he says he’s in front of the station. Yeah. Oh! I see him!!”
One of the cars on the road opened its door, and I saw Yoo Jia waving her hand energetically.
“Hello.”
“Hi~ You’re Hoyeon, right?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Jia moved to the middle of the back seat, making room for me to sit. I got into her father’s car and greeted him once again.
“Hello. Thank you for giving me a ride.”
“Don’t mention it. Jia was the one who invited you. I heard you’re really good at taking pictures?”
“I’m still learning.”
I then exchanged a greeting with her younger sister sitting across from Yoo Jia.
“But you really aren’t dating Jia?”
“Mom!”
“No matter how good he is at taking pictures, she suddenly asked us to bring him to her cousin’s wedding…”
“You saw the pictures he took, too!”
“They were really good. I thought they had been taken by a professional photographer.”
The conversation in the car shifted to my photography skills.
Apparently, the entire family had already seen the pictures I took of the sisters.
“Yujin Unni even said that if you could bring him, you should bring him after she saw his pictures.”
The reason I was sitting in the family car of a high school classmate I hadn’t seen in a long time was because of the phone call Yoo Jia had made yesterday.
Today was Sunday, and apparently, Yoo Jia’s cousin was getting married.
The sisters had continued looking at the pictures I took for them even after returning home. They showed the pictures to their cousin and introduced me to her.
A wedding was something the bride and groom both participated in, but it was often treated as the bride’s day.
A woman’s once-in-a-lifetime day, or preferably, a day that only happened once.
Yoo Jia’s cousin had apparently been so impressed that she could look this beautiful in photographs that she asked Yoo Jia to bring me along.
“By the way, I feel a little bad. You probably wanted to rest on Sunday, but you came all the way here just because our Jia asked you to take pictures.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I didn’t have anything to do on Sunday anyway…”
Normally, I would spend the day lounging around at home and then help out at Mom’s restaurant.
But according to Mom, I was actually more of a hindrance than a help when the restaurant was busy.
Well, I was someone who had only ever known how to exercise, so I couldn’t really argue with that.
“Still, you’re giving up your precious time to come here. Something about this seems suspicious.”
What exactly is suspicious about it?
Yoo Jia’s mother suddenly turned around from the passenger seat, looked back and forth between Jia and me, and grinned.
“You two really aren’t dating?”
“Enough already, Mrs. Choi.”
Even though Yoo Jia answered coldly, her mother didn’t stop smiling.
I had never once imagined that Yoo Jia and I would become involved like that, so I could only sit there awkwardly.
“Since you’re here anyway, just take some pictures, eat something delicious, and enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Of course, it wasn’t simply because I was being nice that I had agreed to come here and take pictures.
How many strangers are going to gather at a wedding?
If things went well, I might be able to complete all 100 people required by the quest here.
I was actually the one who should be thanking them for inviting me.
And there was a delicious wedding buffet, too.
It couldn’t get any better.
“Um, this…”
“Hmm?”
I hadn’t come empty-handed, either.
The people here had no idea, but in a way, I was also using them for the sake of my quest.
Besides, a wedding was someone else’s happy occasion.
If I came to someone’s wedding, ate their food, and left without even giving a wedding gift, I would be bringing shame to my parents.
“I’d like to give a wedding gift, too…”
“Come on. You’re a student. You don’t have to give anything. We’re the ones who asked you to come, so why would you give us money?”
Her father repeatedly refused, but I insisted on handing him an envelope containing 50,000 won.
“My mother gave it to me. She said that since I’m coming to the wedding and eating the food, I shouldn’t leave without giving a wedding gift. She told me not to go around being called an uncultured guy.”
“Oh my, your mother is incredibly wise. Still, I feel bad accepting this…”
“I’ll eat enough to make up for it.”
At my answer, Yoo Jia’s father burst out laughing and eventually accepted the envelope.
“What are you doing? Let’s go in. The ceremony is about to start.”
“Okay.”
After greeting the bride, the sisters came over and pulled me along.
As we entered the wedding hall, I turned off the flash on my phone camera and activated an app that made no sound when taking pictures.
“Take pictures of the groom, too.”
“Okay.”
We sat side by side at an empty table, and Yoo Jia whispered to me.
Even though it was nothing special, I had never had a girl quietly whisper into my ear before, so I felt strangely embarrassed.
Before I started photographing people properly, I first captured various parts of the wedding hall through my lens.
The gorgeous white wedding aisle and its decorations.
The chandelier and lights hanging from the ceiling.
Even the stage at the front.
I instinctively knew how to photograph everything so that it would look beautiful.
“Wow… This is practically a work of art, too.”
Yoo Jia, who was watching the camera screen beside me, whispered again.
She had even rested her chin lightly on my shoulder.
Soon, the MC came out and began doing something.
I can’t miss this.
I quickly took a picture of him.
[Quest (Photography): 3/100]
“Why are you taking a picture of the MC? It’s pointless. And it came out ridiculously good.”
Yoo Jia grumbled while still resting her chin on my shoulder.
[Quest (Photography): 5/100]
Next, the mothers of the bride and groom came out to light the wedding candles.
Naturally, I took one picture of each of them.
Then the groom’s entrance began.
I should take a few pictures of the groom, too.
[Quest (Photography): 6/100]
I only needed to take one picture of each person for the quest, but even five pictures only cost me 500 won.
Today was the special day of the bride and groom.
If spending 500 won could give them beautiful photographs they could treasure forever, I was more than willing to do it.
I’m a nice guy, after all.
After taking pictures of the officiant, the bride, both sets of parents, and many others, the ceremony ended.
Then it was time to take pictures of the groom and bride’s friends, relatives, and other guests.
This was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for.
I quickly slipped behind the photographer in charge and took group pictures of the guests along with him.
[Quest (Photography): 43/100]
I had made quite a bit of progress, but it still wasn’t enough.
I needed an opportunity to photograph more people, but there didn’t seem to be one.
“Unni, Unni! Come over here!”
At that moment, Yoo Jia brought over several other relatives, as if she were scratching exactly where I was itching.
“Take some pictures of us!”
Just what I wanted.
I immediately took the phone they handed me and began photographing the women Yoo Jia had brought over.
“Please move half a step to the left. The person in the middle, put your hand lightly on your waist…”
“Are you a professional?”
“Something like that.”
Normally, when someone asked you to take a picture, you would just point the camera at them and take a quick shot.
But I instinctively knew exactly how to photograph my subjects so they would look their best, and I told them how to pose according to the image I had in mind.
If they’re going to spend money getting their picture taken, I should make sure it’s done properly.
Click!
“Unni! Look.”
“Wow! It came out really pretty!”
“How did it come out this well in such a dark place?”
[Quest (Photography): 46/100]
Seeing the women marvel at their pictures, the people around them began taking an interest, too.
Among them was a couple who had brought a two- or three-year-old child.
They cautiously approached me.
“Excuse me, could you take one picture of us, too?”
“Yes, of course.”
Of course I could.
It wasn’t just because of the quest.
Seeing people’s reactions actually made me feel quite proud.
I gave the family some instructions on how to pose and took a picture without hesitation.
“Oh my, our Chae-in came out so pretty!”
“She really did. You came out great, too.”
The couple looked completely satisfied.
Their reaction attracted the attention of even more people, and before I knew it, a small line of people had formed around me.
[Quest (Photography): 67/100]
Even while heading toward the restaurant, several people asked me to take their pictures, so the quest progressed considerably.
The women in particular were extremely enthusiastic, and some even asked for my phone number so they could have me take their pictures again later.
Older women…
Had twenty-one-year-old Chu Hoyeon ever received this much attention from women in his life?
I had never even had a woman ask for my number before.
Sudden popularity… How frightening.
“So you like it that much…?”
Meanwhile, Yoo Jia was sitting across from me with her head tilted slightly, staring at me with a faintly murderous look in her eyes.
I felt awkward under her gaze, so I cleared my throat for no reason and stood up to get some food.
“I’m coming with you. I’m getting food, too.”
Yoo Jia followed me.
Pretending not to notice, I casually put some food on my plate.
Behind me, she also held her plate and continued talking to me as she picked up food.
“You must be happy that all those older women asked for your number, Chu Hoyeon~”
“No, well… It’s not exactly like that…”
“Then you don’t like it? Poor Hoyeon. He’s sad because older women asked for his number.”
“That’s not it, either.”
To be honest, I did like getting the numbers of pretty older women.
But more importantly, I was happy because I could progress my quest.
Where else would I find sixty strangers willing to let me photograph them?
“Should I drop you off in front of the station?”
“Yes. I can walk home from there.”
After enjoying a luxurious buffet that I normally wouldn’t have the chance to eat, and taking pictures of a few more people, I rode back home in Yoo Jia’s parents’ car.
“Thank you for today.”
“What are you thanking us for? We’re the ones who should be grateful. You even put up with our daughter’s stubbornness.”
“It wasn’t stubbornness!”
It wasn’t exactly fair to call it stubbornness.
The groom and bride, especially the bride, had been incredibly happy when they saw the pictures I took.
I think I took nearly thirty pictures for them.
I had spent 50,000 won on the wedding gift, plus a little more on the photographs.
But thanks to that, I got to enjoy a delicious meal for the first time in a while, and I had progressed more than halfway through my quest.
All that remained was to take pictures of the people at the institution after work tomorrow.
“Here, take this.”
“Yes?”
Just as I was about to get out of the car, her father suddenly handed me an envelope.
“You should get paid for your work. Yujin liked the pictures, too, right? You properly worked as a photographer today, so you should be paid accordingly.”
“Ah, no. I didn’t do this to get paid…”
It wasn’t really something I had done for money.
Sure, I had spent 100 won of my own money on every picture, but it had been rewarding enough.
However, it didn’t look like the matter would end simply because I refused.
“You don’t make someone work for free at a wedding. I already talked to Yujin. She said she was very grateful that you took such good pictures, so take it. You earned this money fairly through your own work.”
“Ah…”
“Hey, just take it. If you don’t, Dad will never leave this spot.”
Yoo Jia lightly poked me with a slightly sulky expression.
Her younger sister, who was looking at me from beside her, also nodded slightly.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Like I said, it’s money you earned through your own work, so of course you should take it. Still, if you feel uncomfortable about it, you could take Jia out on a date and buy her a meal or something…”
“Mr. Yoo, it’s noisy, so please start driving.”
Everyone laughed lightly at the father and daughter’s joke.
I got out of the car and bowed once more.
“Thank you.”
“See you next time~”
The car soon drove away down the road.
I felt like Yoo Jia waved at me through the window without looking in my direction even once.
[Quest (Photography): 100/100]
[Quest completed!]
[Reward: Hobby Gacha Ticket (Bronze)]
On Monday, I unexpectedly received permission to take pictures at the institution without much difficulty.
Apparently, they happened to need new photographs of the elderly residents to display in the office.
I simply went around one person at a time and took pictures of everyone.
[You have acquired a Hobby Gacha Ticket (Bronze).]
Bronze?
The Hobby Gacha Ticket I received as a quest reward.
It didn’t materialize as a physical ticket or lottery slip.
Instead, it had been placed in the inventory of my status window.
[Hobby Gacha Tickets have three grades: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.]
[With Gold, you can choose one from a total of 10 options. With Silver, you can choose one from 5 options. With Bronze, you can choose one from 3 options.]
According to the explanation, I could choose one ability from three randomly selected candidates.
There was no reason to hesitate.
I immediately used the gacha ticket.
[The abilities you can choose from are as follows.]
[Musical Instrument (Guitar)]
[Gardening]
[Exercise (Rock Climbing)]
