Chapter 184: Shoot
At exactly 10AM, Eric strolled into the Lee building where his niece and a very curvy woman approached him waving her hands in greeting. Eric rubbed his eyes exaggeratedly, trying to confirm he was not seeing things.
"Mina?" Eric asked. The red-faced girl's eyes shifted to the ground. Eric was surprised by the body that was hiding underneath the burlap sack of a sweater she had on the first time they met.
"Doesn't she look great?" Rachel asked.
Mina was embarrassed enough. She had listened to Rachel and Camille gush over her for what felt like an eternity and then Mr. Zane joined in by teasing her about Dom. Of course, Camille and Rachel did not understand, but they chimed in by asking her if Dom was her boyfriend. Oddly enough, it was President Lee who had saved her by reminding everyone of the time, and now that Mina stood before Mr. Eric, who she had once believed was a trafficker, she felt no better as he too was gushing over her appearance.
"Mina, I am telling you. If you take this path seriously. You will go far," Mr. Eric said, apparently you didn't need talent to be an actress.
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Mina was surprised by the simplicity of the set. She was expecting a ton of people but there were only three camera men, one wardrobe assistant and a representative from the brand.
"I remember you said you didn't like being looked at," Mr. Eric said, and Mina was grateful. He introduced her to everyone and once again she was complimented on everything from her eyes to her skin tone.
Mina nodded appreciatively at each person, but she hoped they would stop soon. The stylist who she thought had been hired by Mr. Eric turned out to be his daughter, Jay. She pulled Mina to a dressing room where several outfits were laid out. There was businesswoman attire, casualwear, and a high school uniform. Mina instinctively turned her nose up at the uniform.
"I know it's weird, but our market is a simple one. We are targeting people between the ages of fourteen and thirty-five," Jay said. She could tell that Mina was opposed to the high school uniform.
"I don't remember my skirt being so short in high school," Mina quipped.
"Didn't you roll it up?" Jay asked.
"What?" Mina replied, clearly caught off guard. "Did people do that?"
"My dad said you were weird," was Jay's response.
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Mina ended up in the schoolgirl uniform and felt as if she were walking onto the set of an adult film. From what she had heard, school uniforms were a common theme for many of them. She had to practically beg for the stylist to not put her hair in pigtails, which was the look the man wanted to give her. With much effort, she convinced him to pull her hair into a high ponytail and only after he tried out the look on her, was he satisfied and committed to the style.
When Mina stepped onto the set, she was greeted with bulging eyes. Still everyone was professional, and they managed to control their expressions before they made the curvaceous woman turn tail and run. The brand representative turned to Mr. Eric and nodded his approval.
Mina's eyes were a striking shade of golden amber and her facial features were innocent and pure. She did not require much makeup but the little she had on perfectly accentuated her beauty. He was entirely pleased with her visuals and he told Mr. Eric that even if she were bad at acting, he would still like to use her as a brand model. He knew that she would draw many men into the product with a body like that.
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Mina was struggling with her lines. She burst into laughter several times and was beginning to get frustrated. Strangely, she was the only one who seemed to be angry. Anytime she laughed she was joined by the rest of the crew, who seemed to be infected with the same giggle bug she had. Angry, Mina clapped her hands together.
"I don't understand why I have to say these cheesy lines," she said. "People who wear contact lenses know how to use them. They do not need me to teach them. Why can't I just look in the camera and tell them the facts?" She asked. Mina received no response, but she still turned the product box around and quickly read the details.
"Why can't I just say that 'AccuVision Lenses are thin, easy to apply and breathable. They are scientifically proven to cause less irritation and will not dry out your eyes. If you are like me and need proof. Ask your doctor about switching brands.'" At the end of her rant, Mina held up the product and said. "AccuVision. Clarity: You can see." She held a cheesy smile for a while and burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. But to her surprise. No one else was laughing. Mina composed herself and went back through her cheesy lines. It took three hours to complete, but she was finally done.
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Mina could not wait to shed herself of that tiny uniform and leave. Just as she finished changing Mr. Eric handed her identity documents back to her and handed her a preloaded card which he claimed contained $2,000 plus an extra $1,000 because the brand rep wanted to keep a good rapport with her.
Mina thought she had failed miserably, but Mr. Eric told her that the commercial had not been the reason for the bonus, the representative was interested in having her become a face model for the brand, and the money was a gesture to let her know he was serious.
Mina could see how people found this kind of work lucrative. In three hours, she had made as much as some people make in a month. If she had the talent, and if the industry were not so cutthroat, she probably would not mind shooting another commercial or two. Mina took the card and waited outside of the set for Rachel to return from the restroom.