บท 47: Chapter 47
After parking the car in the underground garage which was located right upon entering the gates, we took an elevator to the main lobby.
The lobby was just a huge box space with transparent windows as the walls, showing the entire place.
The area was a huge rectangle more or less on the outskirts of the downtown section of the city.
The outside perimeter was covered by iron fences and was a few meters from the building.
There was lots of greenery so you can just imagine how crisp this air was.
You could see the huge skyscrapers and buildings towering into the sky from the transparent walls inside the lobby.
Felix nudged me.
"You good, Charles?"
He somehow came up with a nickname for me. It's not very usual to be called a nickname by a celebrity in your everyday life. Especially one as successful as him. How friendly could this guy be?
"Yea, what's up?"
"Haha, I just wanted to make fun of you because you finally showed some reaction."
Yeah, it's hard not to gape at all the technologies and beauty of the structure.
"Didn't want to make you feel bad."
"Yeah, yeah. Of course."
"Felix here had his mouth open and everything when he came here. Or at least that's what I was told."
"That's not true."
"With saliva dropping and everything. Don't forget he had already been recruited and had seen other headquarters before."
"No way! Don't listen to this guy, he's insane!"
I too thought he was insane the first time I saw him.
"John looks like the nicest guy ever. How could he be insane?"
John's face morphed into a radiant smile.
Okay, maybe he's a little too happy? Does being happy count as being insane?
I see a woman walking over to us in professional attire wearing glasses.
"Charlie, pleased to meet you. I'm Jessica."
I took her hand and shook it.
"Hello, Jessica."
She smiled professionally.
"We've been very excited to meet you."
John and Jessica nodded at each other and Felix was still frowning to himself wondering whether he had been drooling the first time he came here.
Looking at him, I can see why his fans consist of many females.
He has a watered-down version of my ability to make every single thing I do charming. His probably was accumulated by lots of habit and expression training and conditioning while I just got mine through the charm points of the system.
Broken. Very broken.
Of course, he still has that celebrity charm to him and the confidence of having millions of fans worldwide that makes him appear otherworldly.
I still don't have that special aura, so I'm presuming it's not about charm points, but instead experience and opportunities.
His hair is also styled professionally fit perfectly to his face shape and has a very strict diet and skincare routine so it's not surprising he's this striking.
Ah, am I going to be made to diet? It's not too healthy to diet at my age. I'm still a growing boy, after all.
I don't think growing any tall would be good, though. Too much and I'll be looking pretty ominous. My current height I think is perfect already and it doesn't make that much sense to be the height of an NBA player when my parents aren't even as tall as that.
Fortunately, even though I'm working out and getting healthier, my height hasn't changed that much so I think I've already hit my final spurts of growth.
My thoughts are interrupted by Jessica who was looking at me amused.
"Please," she gestured to us in a motion to follow her and we walked towards a gray door.
…
"What drink would be to your liking?"
"I'll just have a bottle of water, thank you very much."
The paranoic feeling has mostly gone away, but I still have that small thought in the back of my head telling me that they're going to drug me and blackmail me with bad things.
It doesn't sound very logical, but for some reason, I want to listen to it.
This was something I had as Pangaea Charlie, maybe it's a side-effect of merging the two personalities?
She nodded.
I wonder what are we doing in this room, though?
Is this where they drug me, at last?
Very unlikely.
I shook my head and knocked on my skull with the back of my palm.
Still, who knows what these billion-dollar companies do to stay at the top?
I glanced at John to see him look at his watch and both he and Jessica stood up at the same time.
"Are you interested in seeing any section, first?"
"Ah, I'm not too sure…I don't even know what's here..."
Jessica glanced at John,
"...Did you not explain anything in the car ride..?"
John's eyes darted between her and the floor.
"...Uh…"
"Where's the pamphlet?"
I can't tell if this is a strategy they are employing to make me feel more at ease instead of the formal atmosphere, or if John really forgot.
"Hehe," John just smiled at her and took a neat pamphlet out of his pocket.
He reached his hand to me and handed me the pamphlet.
I looked at the 'Weath Knife Agency' cover and flipped to the first page.
An image of the building from a bird's eye view opened and the sections were pointed out in the sides with colors and numbers labeling them.
"Well… I don't know too well what I'm going to be doing when I join…"
"...John."
He looked to the side.
So far, they've been very professional apart from these small antiques which have been rather casual.
"Sorry, Charlie," John apologized and then continued, "Firstly, I tried recruiting you because I thought you'd be a game-changer in the modeling industry. It's the first time I've ever seen anyone with your mannerisms and excellent features that young."
Oh, the ego-stroke play. I'm not complaining, though.
"You'd be employed in the modeling industry first. You'd be trained here in the modeling section facilities that are situated here. I don't think you need much conditioning at all and you'd be shooting probably within a month."
Jessica smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Shall we take a look at the modeling section while you take your questions?"
I nodded.
They stood up and I walked after Jessica while John and Felix trailed behind us.
"So, what does 'modeling' consist of, really?"
"Well, models take pictures wearing clothes or advertising a product, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then, in essence, modeling should be to perfectly capture the image and feel that the product represents."
"Basically, it's almost like acting, then?"
"Exactly. You have to make yourself fit and adapt to the product. The best modelers are the ones that accentuate and highlight a product's representation while adding their own touch to add to its charm."
[Ding!]
[The skill, Modeling, has been added to the Host's arsenal!]
Holy!
I hopped in my step.
There's no way I just received this just from small guidance?
Wow, I've been spending quite some time just to get this skill and now just her talking to me about it gave me a skill.
[In calibration with the host's skill, seven levels have been added to the skill: Modeling]
What? Okay, wow.
I think I get it now.
I've been practicing the skill modeling and it gained me 'points' in the skill, but the reason why I didn't get it is that I didn't fully understand it.
With Jessica's explanation, I got the understanding I needed to break through to gain the skill and the extra left-over practice I had was used to boost the skill's level.
I felt a few gears turning in my brain and suddenly I felt the freshness and 'mental dexterity' for modeling.
It seems a little clearer now.
"Ah, I see. Thank you, Jessica."
Thanks for the free skill.
"No problem." She smiled professionally, unaware of my hidden thoughts.
"Charles could also be doing music too," Felix called out, and continued, "I actually started doing singing and then they employed me to the modeling section."
"Yes, however, Charlie here already looks like a seasoned musician. Music training won't be needed apart from the occasional check-ins from professionals and we'll be helping to publish your compositions, Charlie," Jessica explained.
"True. Your piano compositions are actually amazing. Now you'll just have to go through the modeling training," Felix complimented, and then ominously hinted at the training.
"What's wrong with the training?"
Felix smiled evilly.
"Hahaha, don't worry Charles."
Ah, is this where I am forced to do exercise 10 hours a day, go through cinematography and camera training with angles and diet to make myself as thin as possible?
Jessica and John just grinned at each other.
Huh, they seem pretty close. Old colleagues?
"Okay."
After some minutes of walking, we finally got to the modeling section.
What's with the size of this building?
There was also a gate that opened from the outside into this hall.
"Since the walk is pretty long from the lobby, there's a car drop-off."
"Makes sense."
Jessica took out a card from a pocket and placed it over a scanner which then opened the doors.
I glanced at Felix and he smirked at me evilly.
…
Well, it didn't look bad. I don't know why Felix was smiling like that. Even now, he's still smiling weirdly.
"Felix, are you okay?"
"Yeah, Charles. Are you good?"
You're creepy, dude.
There was a runway catwalk that looked pretty fascinating and many audience seats filling the room.
It looks like fashion shows are also hosted here, looking at the size and quality of all of this.
Eh, I thought they were only used by female models but men also participate in fashion shows and walk over the runway.
Never knew.
Behind, there were the dressing rooms, and after that was an empty room with mirror walls and a wood floor.
Still don't get why Felix is like this.
"Why are you smiling like this?"
"You'll see later."
They explained things to me about how and when I'd probably be walking on the runway and how I'd be prepared to do so.
"About your piano compositions, we'd be releasing them early on and give you a special entrance to our Winter fashion show."
I coughed.
"Winter Fashion Show?" I pointed at myself.
A rookie of a few months in what sounds like a really big fashion show?
"Yep," Jessica tapped her pen with a smile.
"So it's best I start training immediately?"
She smiled, "Yup. The recruitment process won't take too long either."
Felix smirked even more.
"Did this also happen to you?"
"Nope," he grinned at me.
What is this?
I looked back at Jessica.
"So you're trusting a rookie to be on the big stages?"
"Yup. The Winter Fashion Show will be hosted in Regalia for thousands of people in the audience and it'll be live on TV with hundreds of thousands of viewers, so work hard!" She gave me a thumbs up.
I coughed even harder.
On the bright side, this will give me so many achievement points and boost my career so I'm not complaining at all. It's just surprising that they're giving me opportunities like these.
…
"What are your thoughts, Charlie?"
John inquired.
"Well, I think it's safe to say I'm hooked now. When will the recruitment process take place?"
Mind games are pretty much gone by now and we've both come to terms and are acting very casual now.
"Haha, we'd be a little more patient but since you're pretty trending in the media right now we're going to be rushing a few processes."
Jessica continued after John's answer, "If it does not bother you, we could do the recruitment right now, and after we're finished drop you off at your home."
I nodded.
…
"Thank you very much."
They decided to show their sincerity by having all three of them accompany me on the way back home, Jessica driving.
"Alright Charlie, I'm your senior now."
"Yup. Hello Senior Felix."
"Dang, it'd be better if you were shorter."
"Too bad we're the same height."
I bumped his fist.
"Charlie. We'll celebrate your recruitment later, but for now, cheers to our happy cooperation!"
I shook hands with John.
"Of course."
He slapped my back.
"Charlie, we're very excited for what's to come. We know you'll go further beyond our expectations. Cheers to happy cooperation."
Jessica high-fived me, instead of shaking my hand.
I waved them goodbye after thanking them again and entered the apartment building.
At the elevator, I took out my phone and turned it back on.
After a few seconds, the screen lit up and I was immediately greeted by the booming notifications coming all at once due to having turned off my phone earlier.
I did not want to be bothered by the buzzes while I was in the HQ and it seems like it was a good idea because I've been getting spammed since the time I met up with Felix and John.
Sheesh.
...
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