Chapter 34
I Can’t Wear That
Water streamed fiercely from the showerhead, drenching Do-hyun’s body.
As he repeatedly splashed water onto his face, a sudden thought of Lee Yeon’s bold confession made a quiet chuckle slip from his lips.
The way she had looked him straight in the eye and confessed without hesitation, without playing games or pulling away—just honestly laying her feelings bare.
Even though she had looked a little shy, she had pressed on with determination.
That image lingered vividly in his mind.
How could anyone not fall for a woman like that?
Finishing his shower, Do-hyun wiped himself down with a towel.
But then, a nagging question tugged at him, making him tilt his head in puzzlement. Something felt off.
When they first met, Lee Yeon’s cheeks had been sprinkled thickly with freckles.
He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d stared blankly at her face, long enough that, given a little more time, he probably could have memorised the exact number of spots.
But after her flustered yet lively confession, when he’d cupped those cheeks in his hands and finally let go, the freckles had noticeably faded.
Just like how water was wiped away with a towel, it was as if the freckles themselves had been wiped off.
For a moment, Do-hyun felt stunned—almost as if his own hands were capable of magic.
Ridiculous, he dismissed the thought at once.
After drying off, he checked his phone and saw a missed call.
—So, still no news?
As soon as he called back, Gapsu asked about his grandchild.
“No, not yet.”
—Are you two even trying?
Did you at least check if there are any health issues?
“We’re young and healthy, so you don’t need to worry about that.
And believe me, we’re not lacking in… desire either.”
—Ahem.
At the mention of desire, Gapsu coughed awkwardly.
—Then when are you coming over for dinner?
I’ll even have some herbal medicine prepared.
“We don’t need that. Depending on medicine is worse for us, really.
Besides, there’s no problem in that department, so stop worrying.
You’ll just get more white hair.”
—You rascal!
“Well, I should get going.
I need to get busy making that grandchild for you, so I’ll call you again.”
***
“What is this?!
You know I deserve credit for this, right?”
When Lee Yeon confessed that she was officially dating Do-hyun, Hayul nearly burst with joy.
“Do you know, huh?
Do you have any idea how much effort I put in, wishing the two of you would work out?!”
Clutching her nose, Hayul pretended to cry.
“And what exactly was this effort?
Go on, tell me in detail.”
“Details?
Too much talking is tiring.
But I even booked salad places for my best friend who needed to manage her figure.
Isn’t that effort enough?”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because you wanted to eat salad?”
“What are you talking about!”
Of course, Lee Yeon knew perfectly well that Hayul had been looking out for her own body as well.
“Still, thank you.
Really.
There’s no one like you.”
Beaming with pride, Hayul stabbed her fork into her salad.
Clearly starving, she devoured it like it was melting in her mouth.
“So what did the vice president say?
But honestly, why’d you confess so quickly?
You should’ve toyed with him a little!
Keep him guessing, make him restless before you confess!”
“If I like someone, I say so.
If I don’t, I say that too.
Why drag it out?
But hey, I didn’t say yes right away!
Not intentionally, but I did spend a few days wondering if this relationship was the right step before I answered.”
Hayul burst into laughter, thoroughly entertained.
Then she reached over and handed Lee Yeon a gift box she had set on the chair.
“Anyway!
Here—this is for you.
Once you start dating, you’ll understand why you need to manage your figure.”
“What is it?”
Eyes widening, Lee Yeon accepted the box with curiosity.
Tilting her head, she opened it.
“…What the heck, Iim Hayul.”
“What?
It’s the perfect gift for you right now!
Do you even know how much trouble I went through picking this?”
Carefully, Lee Yeon lifted the red lace lingerie from the box.
“Are you insane?
How am I supposed to wear this?”
“Why do you think they sell it at lingerie shops?
People wear it!
Men go crazy for stuff like this.”
“No way.
I can’t wear it.”
“Yes, you can.
You have to.”
“I don’t own anything remotely this flashy!”
“Exactly why I bought it for you!
Just imagine—your pretty face framed by this red lingerie, standing there… Ah, even I want to see it.
Just imagining it gives me chills.”
Why are you the one imagining that?!
The moment she heard about their relationship, she rushed off to buy lingerie.
“Actually, that’s why I wanted to meet you today.”
Lee Yeon finally brought up the concern that had been weighing on her.
“For what?”
With a small sigh, she gathered her thoughts.
“The truth is… Vice President Do-hyun doesn’t know my real face yet.”
“What?
But you confessed!
Don’t tell me it was only thanks to my push?”
Push?
What push?
“So you confessed… with this face?”
The phrasing irritated her, but technically it wasn’t wrong.
So Lee Yeon simply nodded.
And the more she thought about it, the more tangled her heart felt.
“Vice President Ahn is something else.
Women dream of snatching him up, yet he confessed to someone men wouldn’t even want to snatch away?”
“Who says no man would ever want me?”
Lee Yeon pouted, looking unfairly treated.
“I’m kidding!
Kidding!”
Hayul quickly waved her hands, and Lee Yeon’s eyes softened again.
“I don’t know.
Keeping it hidden feels wrong.
I can’t hide it forever, but when I try to say it out loud, the words just won’t come.”
“That’s because you haven’t accepted yourself yet.
You’re always hiding.
You need to change too.
Finding someone who loves you for you is rare, especially looking the way you do!
But from what I see, that rare man is your vice president.
If you tell him honestly, he’ll understand.”
“……”
“But you need to make an effort too.
Go out as your real self more often.
I’m telling you, he’d accept you no matter what you look like.
Honestly, isn’t that better than getting uglier?”
“Well… I guess.”
“Since we’re on the subject, let’s go take photos.
You never leave pictures of yourself without that wig or whatever.
Don’t you want to at least keep a few of your real self while you’re young?
Think of it as practice for Do-hyun too.”
“What if I get caught?”
“By who?
The vice president?
Then take a weekday off!
We’ll go take pictures, build your confidence, then head back before he gets off work.”
It wasn’t a bad plan.
That way, there’d be no chance of running into Do-hyun while he was at the office.
***
That Friday, Do-hyun had an all-day meeting with an outside firm, which meant he wouldn’t be at the company.
Today’s the day!
Lee Yeon requested leave.
For a secretary, the only carefree day to take off was when the boss wasn’t around.
It was the one day she could tell her replacement with confidence that she was taking the day off.
And that day had arrived.
It felt like the heavens themselves were cheering her on.
When Do-hyun asked what she planned to do, Lee Yeon told him she was meeting Hayul, and that they might go take some photos together.
Of course, it wouldn’t be in her usual guise.
—Yoo Lee Yeon!
If you’re awake, text me back!
I was seriously considering barging into your newlywed home thinking you’d run away, but… I don’t know your address.
“No, I just woke up.
Though it’s not like running away didn’t cross my mind.”
—If you ditch me, you’re dead!
Laughing at Hayul’s shout, Lee Yeon felt strangely at ease.
Thanks to Hayul dragging her along to the last event, she felt braver about going out this time.
Hayul was practically bouncing with excitement over their friendship photo shoot.
She even suggested matching outfits, like dresses with cardigans to match the start of autumn.
Since it had been so long, Lee Yeon decided to join in wholeheartedly.
With barely any suitable clothes in her wardrobe, she had even bought a new outfit after work yesterday.
Of course, dressing up differently like this still felt a little like deceiving Do-hyun, which made her uneasy.
She knew she needed to show him her true face soon.
Sometimes, when she saw her bare face in the mirror, she’d remember the things her uncle Yeop used to say—and that always made her hate it more.
But lately, that hatred was beginning to shift.
Now, when she looked at her real face, the first thought that came to mind was, I need to tell Do-hyun soon.
What will he say?
Her world was filled with him.
Everything revolved around what he might think.
And because of that, her heart felt much lighter.
She even felt a spark of excitement—today will be better than last time.
***
Lee Yeon slipped into a deep rose dress paired with a short white cardigan.
The delicate dress and fitted cardigan gave her a modest, innocent charm.
Her hair was pinned up neatly with a claw clip, with only her side locks curled in soft waves.
With light makeup applied, she set off for the studio where Hayul was waiting.
It wasn’t her usual look, but since she had taken leave for this day, she was determined to enjoy it.
The crisp autumn breeze ruffled her hair.
Dragonflies danced above her, as if offering encouragement.
The feel of the wind brushing directly through her uncovered hair was refreshing.
Lee Yeon wished that sensation could last forever.
If only I could be holding Do-hyun’s hand right now, walking together in this breeze.
The longer she walked, the more familiar the streets seemed.
Almost like she was heading to work.
Of course—it was because the studio was near the company.
When she asked why they had to shoot there, Hayul said it was famous and their photos would come out amazing.
And so, she arrived at the studio, where Hayul was already waiting.
Inside, several rooms had been set up with different concepts.
The photographer, upon seeing them enter, froze for a moment before grinning ear to ear and ushering them in.
“With beauties like you two, the pictures will turn out flawless no matter what.
My heart’s already pounding just thinking about it.”
He looked no older than his mid-twenties, but he had the salesmanship down pat.
After showering them with compliments, he guided them through different poses.
“This pose is trending these days.
This set looks best w
ith this stance.
Try this one!”
On and on he went, switching from pose to pose.
Compliment, pose.
Compliment, pose.
They moved through several rooms, following his direction.
“You two don’t even need retouching.
Honestly, with your looks, editing would just take away from the photos.
Look here, this is the raw shot.”
Bzzz—
Just then, Lee Yeon’s phone buzzed.
It was Do-hyun.
