I felt a different emotion than when the makeup shop owner or Secretary Ha said I was pretty.

If I hadn’t done my makeup, I probably would have been caught by Kang Woo with my face blushing red enough to burst.

The moment I opened my eyes and saw my prettily made-up reflection in the mirror, I wanted to show it to Kang Woo first.

In that moment, I didn’t even think that I shouldn’t have such thoughts since we’re a contract couple.

I just wanted to show him. Hoping he would find me even a little pretty.

“…Is it really okay?”

Though it might be my imagination, perhaps what I had hoped for was Kang Woo’s appearance like this, not hiding the emotion of finding me pretty in his eyes.

Somehow my heart swelled up. When I was with Kang Woo, my heart would fill like this, and the world felt warm.

“Yes. You’re pretty.”

As the corners of his mouth lifted, my heart beat quickly, and when he gently caressed my earlobe, everywhere his fingers touched felt hot as if burned.

“I’m… glad.”

That I look pretty to you.

Hee Won swallowed the latter words and looked up at Kang Woo.

At first, I thought it was just physical attraction. Because it was my first time. But as time passed, I realized it wasn’t just about that one time, and I thought perhaps my attraction to Kang Woo was fate, like how a baby duck imprints on the first thing it sees as its mother.

So in fact, I was worried.

I repeatedly asked myself if I was mistaking this for liking him, if this emotion wasn’t pure.

But even so, day by day, every moment, I grew to like Kang Woo more. My feelings for him grew uncontrollably larger.

And in the end, I reached the point of caring about and even feeling jealous over Kang Woo and Stacy’s situation.

At some point I realized it.

That my feelings for Kang Woo weren’t just simple affection. That it couldn’t be ended with just saying I liked him.

I had tried to put the brakes on my heart because he was someone I couldn’t repay.

I thought there was little chance of us becoming sincere. We had mixed bodies in a one-night indiscretion at our first meeting.

[Originally, physical attraction is the scariest thing. Why, how could there be such a partner? As you rub flesh together, feelings develop and such. But that’s the end. It’s hard for sincere love to sprout.]

I was hurt by those passing words, and they created hesitation deep in my heart.

Even though I realized I couldn’t hope for love since Kang Woo and my beginning was different from others, I liked him so much.

People tend to attach meaning to ‘firsts’.

First love, first boyfriend, first job, and so on.

It was my first. He was my first kiss, my first sexual partner.

But I didn’t come to like Kang Woo because he was my first. He was so kind and the only person besides Joo Ah who treated me sincerely.

‘I love Kang Woo.’

While all of that may have had an influence, it couldn’t be the entirety of why I love Kang Woo.

‘I want to be loved by him too.’

Something welled up inside me.

Hee Won bowed her head deeply, unable to meet Kang Woo’s gaze any longer. Self-loathing washed over her.

Even though I said I wouldn’t be greedy…

“Hee Won, will you look at me?”

Hee Won gathered herself at Kang Woo’s words and raised her head. And in that moment, something cool touched her earlobe and she felt a heavy sensation.

“Fortunately, the timing worked out. I wanted to give this to you.”

“This is…”

“You didn’t have your ears pierced, right? I’m glad the timing worked out when I rushed it. To me, it seems to match well with today’s outfit, but would you like to check for yourself in the mirror?”

“…”

Even without looking, I felt there was something on my ear, but Hee Won nodded.

He took her hand and walked to where there was a full-length mirror.

“…”

Hee Won couldn’t say anything the moment she saw what was on her ear.

A custom earring that could be worn without piercing, set with peridot, her birthstone, was sparkling.

“It suits you well.”

Kang Woo said, staring intently at Hee Won in the mirror.

“No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find peridot earrings that didn’t require piercing, so I had these custom-made. Is it uncomfortable to wear?”

Hee Won looked up at Kang Woo, who was asking with a warm gaze, and felt like rough waves were rising in her heart.

In fact, her inability to wear earrings was due to trauma. Due to certain experiences in the past, she came to think of the feeling of flesh being pierced as horrifying.

[What on earth are you doing! This won’t do. You need to be punished a bit to come to your senses.]

Among the means Choo Hyun Jung used to torment young Hee Won, the most extreme was stabbing hidden parts of her body with needle-like objects.

Since Seong CEO didn’t examine the corners of Hee Won’s body, he didn’t know that needle-pricked wounds appeared and healed on parts covered by clothes.

It was just a single needle, but the terror was unimaginable.

No matter how much she begged and pleaded, Choo Hyun Jung wouldn’t listen to anything when she was angry.

[I’m, I’m scared. Please… forgive me. I didn’t steal Yuna’s. I absolutely didn’t do that. Please believe me.]

That was one of the abuses that continued until the year Hee Won became an adult and went to arranged meetings.

So while she could wear rings and necklaces, she couldn’t wear earrings. But Seong CEO, who knew nothing of the circumstances, insisted that a woman needs to wear accessories to look pretty.

[You’re not a child anymore, how can you be so afraid of such a trivial thing, making this fuss.]

Seong CEO didn’t try to understand Hee Won’s fear and even tried to forcibly take her to get her ears pierced. But each time, she would faint, and piercing her ears was the only thing that didn’t go according to Seong CEO’s wishes.

But Kang Woo was different. Hee Won looked at her reflection in the mirror.

‘How does this person so easily cross the line? How does he shake my heart like this?’

Her eyes grew hot and her heart swelled. It felt like tears would pour out, but she held them back for fear of ruining her makeup.

Noticing something strange about Hee Won’s expression, Kang Woo turned her body to face him.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”

“…”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.”

Kang Woo asked, gently caressing Hee Won’s reddened eyes.

“I told you, didn’t I? Even if it’s me, you don’t have to do anything forcibly.”

His fingers stroking her eyes were so soft and delicate. That’s why she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

Finally, the tears burst out. Unable to handle the pouring tears, she lowered her head, and Kang Woo cupped her cheeks with his large hands.

“Hee Won. Look at me.”

If I cry like this, my makeup will all come off, after the director worked so hard. How ugly I’ll look with black eyeliner running down.

A hundred reasons why she shouldn’t cry came to mind, but once the tears started, they wouldn’t stop.

Kang Woo signaled with his eyes for Secretary Ha and the makeup shop staff to go downstairs.

“Let’s sit down first.”

Kang Woo sat Hee Won on the sofa. Then he knelt down in front of her.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“The makeup is all coming off. There’s not much time. I keep…”

Kang Woo grabbed Hee Won’s hands as she rubbed her eyes roughly.

“The makeup can be redone, so it’s fine. We have enough time. More importantly, rubbing your eyes like that will hurt. I’ll wipe them for you, so look at me.”

When Hee Won raised her head, Kang Woo pulled out a tissue from the table and wiped away her tears.

“…I’m sorry.”

Hee Won said in a tiny voice, as if an ant could crawl in.

“For what?”

“For crying. I look really ugly when I cry. I was so pretty just a moment ago.”

Kang Woo, who had been wiping away her tears, let out a chuckle.

After meticulously wiping away the fallen tears, he took her hand and opened his mouth.

“Would I seem crazy if I said you look pretty even when crying?”

“…Pardon?”

“To my eyes, you’re pretty no matter what.”

Hee Won was dazed at Kang Woo’s words.

“So from now on, don’t hold back and cry like this. In front of me.”

“…Cry?”

“Don’t forcibly suppress it when you’re upset and hurting, just let it out like this.”

His words made her heart swell even more.

“Can you tell me why you cried?”

Hee Won hesitated before opening her mouth.

“…Actually, I’ve never worn earrings before. I’m afraid of injections. I can’t bear anything piercing my body, it’s so frightening. So I couldn’t get my ears pierced.”

In truth, it wasn’t injections but needles, but Hee Won couldn’t bring herself to say that much.

Kang Woo gently stroked the back of her hand as if understanding her words.

“Father told me I should do anything that makes a woman look pretty. I dieted 365 days a year, and he made me weigh myself every day. I never once got to do my hair the way I wanted. There was one thing Father couldn’t do as he wished.”

[Stupid X. Your body is a product. You should do anything to look pretty.]

The words of Seong CEO, who would pull her hair and lose his temper, came to mind.

“He tried several times to take my hand and make me get my ears pierced, but couldn’t. At the time, I couldn’t understand why Father was trying so hard to make me pierce my ears. I found out later. It was because of the saying that a woman looks 1.5 times prettier when wearing earrings.”

It was so frightening then. Seong CEO’s face, as if her opinion didn’t matter at all, was still vivid.