The photoshoot began the day after we arrived.
Ellie, wearing a rash guard, rode a surfboard or walked along the beach, while cameras and drones captured her on video and in photos.
There were three versions of the commercial in total.
Although the combined length was only about five minutes, filming each version took several hours at minimum. Since it was an outdoor shoot requiring consideration for sunlight, the filming spanned two days.
During that time, we leisurely enjoyed our vacation.
Henry and Hyun-joo noona strolled hand-in-hand on the beach, and my mother played with Oh Geon or got massages.
Taek-gyu lay on a sunbed wearing sunglasses, sipping a mojito.
"When in the Maldives, you drink mojitos, right? Ah! I'm getting tipsy."
"Isn't that non-alcoholic?"
"Just setting the mood, just the mood."
"..."
He looked like the very picture of a successful otaku's role model.
"It feels good coming to a warm place after being somewhere cold."
Weather has a significant impact on people's moods. Bright and warm conditions alone can bring a certain level of happiness. Conversely, in cloudy and cold Northern Europe, the incidence of depression and suicide rates is higher compared to regions at lower latitudes.
Looking at the blue sky and emerald sea, I murmured, "Making money was definitely worth it."
***
Whenever we had time, Ellie and I enjoyed scuba diving together. The seawater was incomparably clear and transparent compared to Jeju Island.
Underwater, endless fields of coral stretched out before us.
Besides that, there were plenty of other activities to enjoy, such as snorkeling, paddleboarding, jet skiing, banana boating, and parasailing.
The three days and two nights passed in the blink of an eye.
"Hmph, I want to play more," Ellie whined.
Hyun-joo noona replied firmly, "What are you talking about? We need to get back to work quickly."
After finishing our short vacation, we returned to Korea on the private jet.
The film crew sent the footage shot in the Maldives to the editing room, and it was immediately made into a commercial. The schedule was already significantly delayed due to the sudden change from the original model to Ellie.
We were able to get an advance look at the completed commercial.
Ellie, standing against the backdrop of the blue sea, truly looked like a model. She wasn't just pretty; she exuded a vibrant energy and charisma that radiated through the screen.
"How is it? Do I look good?"
I nodded. "You look stunning."
It was hard to look away. Seeing the commercial, I understood why the president [of Vester] had tried so hard to cast Ellie.
As expected, the reaction was immediate as soon as the TV commercial aired. The ad video uploaded to A-Tube quickly hit 1 million views, and the rash guard Ellie wore sold out instantly both online and offline. Inquiries flooded the Vester headquarters asking if they could get more stock.
Interest in the model also exploded.
- Who the heck is that woman?
- Is she a Hollywood actress? Or a fashion model?
- Wow! Seriously goddess-level beauty. Prettiest in the world.
- Never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. Which country's model is she?
- Current finance worker here. She's not a model, she's a lawyer at Golden Gate Korea.
- That's right. She's the Legal Team 1 Leader, apparently the Vester president saw her and begged her to model, so she ended up doing the commercial.
- lol You're kidding me. Does anyone actually fall for that?
- Where on earth is there a lawyer like that?
- So damn ridiculous. Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.
- It's true. She specializes in M&A and international law.
- She's the team leader at our company. She's scary when she works.
- If you check the website, there's a name Ellie Kim.
- What? Is it real?
Does this make sense? She's got those looks and she's smart?
- The world is so damn unfair.
- I need to get a job there immediately.
- Gotta quit my job right now and apply to Golden Gate.
- Stop talking nonsense and just keep your current job.
- Dude, Golden Gate isn't a place you can just get into because you want to.
The fact that a beautiful foreign model was a lawyer working at Golden Gate was surprising enough. But soon after, an even more shocking fact was revealed.
- Huh! That woman is Kang Jin-hoo's girlfriend.
- Right. I think they went to a party together before.
- Ah! I think I saw them eating together at a hotel restaurant once.
- What? Kang Jin-hoo has a girlfriend?
- Why? Is Kang Jin-hoo not allowed to date?
- Heard from an industry insider that Yoo Jin-wook hit on Kang Jin-hoo's girlfriend at the photoshoot, got caught, and that's why he turned himself in.
- Freaking awesome. So jealous.
- I'm more jealous of him having a girlfriend like that than being the world's richest man!
- Kang Jin-hoo really has it all.
- Can you date women like that if you make a lot of money?
- No. Having a lot of money doesn't automatically get you a girlfriend like that.
- Ah! I wish I had a girlfriend like that too.
- I don't even wish for a girlfriend like that, just any girlfriend would be nice...
- I don't even wish for just any girlfriend, just a female friend...
- Crying ㅜㅜ
***
With her stunning beauty, her position as Golden Gate's legal team leader, and the added fact that she was dating me, Ellie became famous overnight.
Calls flooded in from everywhere. It became common for colleagues or people we met to ask for her autograph or a photo together.
Advertising offers poured into Golden Gate. Hyun-joo noona even remarked that she wasn't sure if it was a brokerage firm or a modeling agency anymore.
Even Ellie herself was bewildered by the sudden popularity.
"Chairman Im Jin-yong also called earlier. He wants you to be the model for Seosung Electronics' wearable devices. Said he'd offer the best compensation in the industry."
After thinking for a moment, Ellie shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but please tell him I must decline."
"Why? It's a great opportunity."
Since Seosung Electronics sells products worldwide, doing their commercial would mean exposure in almost every country. She could become an internationally recognized model instantly.
"My current job isn't exactly relaxed enough to handle a second job, is it?"
"That's true."
Things were relatively calm now, but once she took on M&A or IPO tasks, she would become incredibly busy. Juggling that with modeling would be difficult.
I recalled Ellie during the Maldives shoot. "But didn't you enjoy filming?"
Ellie smiled. "Modeling was fun too, but I like the work I'm doing now more. It's a bit disappointing, but I got to experience it this once, and I have lots of pretty pictures from it."
***
Perhaps thanks to the commercial, Vester's sales rose significantly despite the off-season, and the media churned out articles daily.
Entertainment reporters, neglecting actual entertainment news, were busy writing articles about Ellie.
[Vester's New Model Revealed to be Kang Jin-hoo's Girlfriend!]
[Ellie Kim, Beautiful and Talented Lawyer from Hong Kong!]
[(Exclusive) Believed to Have Started Dating While Investing in Startups]
[(Live) Spotted on a Date Together After Work]
[(In-depth) Who Confessed First Still Unknown...]
I was at the office reading articles about Ellie when Taek-gyu suddenly burst through the door.
"Hey! Big trouble!"
Knowing him, when he says that, it's probably not that serious.
I asked nonchalantly, "What is it?"
"You know how Ellie mentioned she briefly worked as a model before?"
"Yeah."
According to Hyun-joo noona, Ellie had worked as a model in the UK during her university days. I had asked her about it a few times out of curiosity, but Ellie had turned serious each time and absolutely refused to tell me. So, what kind of modeling she did remained a mystery.
"I think I found a video from back then."
I was so surprised I shot up from my seat. "What? Really? How?"
"Apparently, some British netizen interested in Korea found it and posted it."
Taek-gyu put a hand on my shoulder and said, "You might be shocked when you see it."
"What is it that's so shocking...?"
"It might be opening Pandora's Box. Still want to see it?"
"..."
'Is it that bad?'
Perhaps not watching it was the wiser choice. But now that I'd heard about it, I couldn't not see it.
"Brace yourself!"
For a moment, all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind. Did Pandora want to open the box?
"Alright, just play it!"
Taek-gyu played the video on his phone.
A video about a minute long played, and I was speechless.
"..."
'Ellie really filmed something like this?'
***
Ellie came home late from work.
"Neither of you ate dinner yet, right? Let's go eat together."
I said calmly, "What do you want to eat? Before that, there's something I want to show you. Can you sit on the sofa for a sec?"
"What is it?"
I turned on the TV with the remote.
The video started playing on the 120-inch screen. Ellie shrieked in shock. "Aaah!"
It was a commercial from a regional UK cable TV channel.
A brown-haired beauty in a waitress outfit sang while doing a cute dance.
"Whole family together! Everyone loves Fish&Chips! Royal Fish&Chips!"
Then came the chorus.
"Royal Royal~ FiChip FiChip~ Royal FiChip~ Royal FiChip~."
Finally, she took a bite of the fish and chips, put on a surprised expression, and said, "OMG, it tastes sssooo good! The best in the world Fish&Chips! Royal Fish&Chips!"
Unable to watch any longer, Ellie squeezed her eyes shut and shouted, "Q-quickly, turn it off!"
I turned off the TV for the moment. Ellie looked half-stunned from the shock.
"That's you, right Ellie?"
Her face bright red, Ellie could only manage a small nod in response.
Taek-gyu asked curiously, "How did you end up filming that?"
"I worked there part-time during university. They said if I did the commercial, I could earn three months' pay at once..." Her voice trailed off, as if making excuses.
Ellie waved her hands and continued her explanation. "B-back then, I applied without knowing it would be like that. I was shocked too when I saw the commercial later."
She likely didn't know when she filmed it that it would become such an embarrassing part of her past.
A quick Google search revealed that the shop was a local franchise that had since gone bankrupt and disappeared.
"But were those fish and chips actually tasty?"
Ellie looked like she was about to cry. "They weren't even tasty!"
"Ah..."
'Is that why it went out of business?'
Taek-gyu nodded understandingly. "Sold your conscience for money, huh."
A poor student probably didn't have many choices.
I patted Ellie's shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay. Sometimes in life, you end up filming a fish and chips commercial."
The problem was that the set, the song, the whole video had a strangely cheesy, B-movie vibe. According to Taek-gyu, true B-grade charm isn't something you can achieve intentionally.
After calming down slightly, Ellie said sternly, "Delete that video right now. Don't show it to anyone."
"Don't worry," Taek-gyu said. "Let's just go get dinner. What should we eat?"
Seeing Ellie embarrassed made me want to tease her. "How about fish and chips?"
At my words, Taek-gyu put on a mock-serious expression and nodded. "Good idea. But where do they sell the best fish and chips in the world again?"
"Why, at Royal, of course..."
Ellie blushed and shouted, "Both of you, stop it!"
***
Ellie made me and Taek-gyu promise emphatically not to show the video to anyone.
We definitely kept that promise. However, the video spread across the internet instantly. It dominated real-time search rankings on portal sites and popular videos on A-Tube, and even appeared in news articles.
The bigger problem was the strangely addictive nature of the lyrics and dance, making people hum it constantly.
Ellie came home from work looking crestfallen. "I think I might have to quit my job."
"Why?"
"My colleagues snicker whenever they see me. They even hum it behind my back. I want to die of embarrassment."
"..."
Truthfully, I sometimes hum it too. Royal Royal~ FiChip FiChip~
"Don't worry too much. Trends like this are fleeting."
"Whimper."
'This too shall pass.'
But even after it passes, it'll remain on the internet forever.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I just thought it was cute."
"Tsk, whatever." Even though she said that, her expression showed she didn't dislike hearing it.
"Really cute. By any chance, do you have more photos from your university days?"
"So I'm not cute now?"
I burst out laughing. "No. You're much cuter now."
Her pouting expression is adorable.
Ellie seemed to have cheered up a bit. "I like hearing that. Can you say it again?"
"Anytime. Ellie is the cutest in the world."
Taek-gyu watched us and commented dryly, "Look at you two."
(TL/n: Tch, I'm with you taek-gyu let's go somewhere else)