The next day.

A message from Seong Jun arrived saying someone would visit soon. Who’s coming? As Seo Yeon tilted her head at the vague subject, the intercom rang.

Seo Yeon’s eyes widened in surprise as she checked the screen. The visitors were personal shoppers who exclusively served VVIP customers of Han Kyung Department Store. She had glimpsed their faces once when visiting a store with her mother-in-law.

As Seo Yeon opened the door, the personal shoppers entered the living room with polite greetings. They began displaying dresses and accessories in the center, explaining Seong Jun had sent them.

Just as she was wondering about this sudden commotion, another message arrived from Seong Jun.

−We’ll have a date tonight. We’re not going anywhere fancy, so choose comfortably.

Seo Yeon’s eyes wavered at the word “date”. It wasn’t just talk. She felt strange, as going on a date with her husband was something she’d never even imagined before, even in dreams.

To be more honest, she was excited. Seo Yeon let out a soft sigh, deciding to accept these contradictory feelings just for today.

“Do you have any style in mind?”

“Well, I’d like to try something different from usual. Could you help me?”

“Of course. Do you have any particular preferences?”

After pondering seriously, Seo Yeon requested a style she would never have worn in the past.

“I think something bright and casual would be nice.”

“We have just the perfect item. I recommend this limited edition mini dress from Chanel’s latest release. Your skin is so clear and beautiful that you could pull off any color, but a bright dress would highlight your clear complexion best.”

The personal shopper finished explaining and draped the dress from the display over Seo Yeon, showing her the mirror.

“How do you like it?”

In the mirror stood Seo Yeon, looking several times brighter and more radiant than usual. In the past, she had stuck to dark, plain clothes, even being mocked for looking like she was attending a funeral.

It was amazing. Just by wearing brighter colors, the past Han Seo Yeon and the present Han Seo Yeon looked so different that one might doubt they were the same person.

In fact, dressing that way hadn’t been Seo Yeon’s choice.

At first, she followed her mother’s wishes not to burden the elders of the Han Kyung Group. Later, she stubbornly stuck to it to escape the harsh gazes of her in-laws who looked at her as if she were an enemy.

There were people who would sneer, asking if she thought she was a model just for wearing slightly brighter clothes.

But now, she didn’t want to be mindful of anyone, no matter who they were. Perhaps because she had experienced it once before. She wasn’t afraid of others being disappointed or pointing fingers at her anymore.

If there was one thing she feared now, it was her husband’s whim of not needing a child if they didn’t date first. After staring at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, she smiled brightly and answered.

“I like it. I’ll go with this dress.”

With Seo Yeon’s approval, an assistant approached to adjust the waist size of the dress, while a stylist came to do her makeup.

“Your skin is so clear and beautiful that we don’t need heavy makeup.”

“Thank you.”

Shortly after, the dress tailored to fit Seo Yeon’s figure was delivered, and her hair and makeup were completed.

Seo Yeon looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair, usually tied back without a single strand out of place, was now let down in elegant waves. Her makeup, which she used to apply to look more mature, was now bright and natural.

She had transformed from head to toe into a completely different style from usual. As she stared blankly at her changed appearance, she heard an admiring voice beside her.

“My goodness. You look so beautiful!”

Seo Yeon smiled pleasantly at the stylist’s compliment.

“Thank you. I really like it too.”

Somehow, she felt as excited as a child going on a picnic.

*

Exactly 30 minutes after the personal shoppers and stylists who helped Seo Yeon transform from head to toe had left, Seong Jun sent a message saying he had arrived.

Hurrying outside, Seo Yeon quickly checked her hair and makeup in the elevator mirror.

She felt nervous about meeting her husband soon. It was their first date since getting married. Realizing this, her heart felt like it would burst.

‘He won’t tease me for being dramatic, will he?’

Suddenly, she became conscious of her different hairstyle and bright dress.

But it was too late to change clothes now, so with a half-resigned heart, she stepped out of the elevator and saw her husband standing in the middle of the lobby, looking as if he had just entered.

“Seong Jun!”

At her call, Seong Jun turned his head. His eyes widened as he spotted Seo Yeon.

He walked slowly towards her, staring intently. But even as he approached, Seong Jun didn’t speak first. Seo Yeon had no choice but to break the silence.

“The staff left a little while ago. You said it wasn’t a formal occasion, so I dressed casually. Shall we go?”

Seo Yeon, who had intended to chat more, gave up and turned away first. She felt somewhat embarrassed by his intense gaze.

But even in the car, Seong Jun didn’t say a word. Occasionally, when they stopped at a red light, he would stare at her, but Seo Yeon couldn’t read his thoughts at all. She felt uneasy in the prolonged silence.

‘Does he not like it?’

She felt embarrassed about her earlier self-praise, thinking she looked prettier and brighter than usual.

‘Well, Seong Jun must have seen countless models and actresses much prettier and more glamorous than me through his work. It can’t be helped if he thinks it’s nothing special.’

She felt a bit upset for a moment, but then thought it was fortunate that at least she looked pretty in her own eyes. Seo Yeon tried to compose herself.

‘And why should I care if my husband finds me pretty or not? It’s enough if I think I look pretty.’

As she was consoling herself with this mental victory, they stopped at another red light, and once again, Seong Jun turned to stare at her. Why does he keep looking at me?

“Do I look strange?”

Finally unable to bear it, Seo Yeon turned and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been staring at me this whole time, so I’m asking. It doesn’t seem like you have anything particular to say.”

Seong Jun raised an eyebrow at Seo Yeon’s words.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look that bad?”

At those words, Seong Jun’s gaze naturally swept over her.

“I was just thinking that the professionals seem to be quite skilled. You look completely different. Is their technique that good?”

It was unclear whether he meant she looked terrible before or if he was saying she looked pretty now. As Seo Yeon was trying to interpret the hidden meaning in Seong Jun’s words, his voice was heard again from beside her.

“Ah, right. You were originally pretty. The beauty of the century acknowledged by Park Jin Sung.”

Seo Yeon’s face instantly flushed at Seong Jun’s joke. While she felt grateful to Jin Sung for praising her, Seong Jun had been tormenting her with jokes like this ever since, whenever he got the chance.

Every time, she wanted to respond coolly, but even now, being called the beauty of the century made her flustered and embarrassed, causing her face to turn bright red.

It felt like a sneak attack, and she felt very wronged, but one thing became clear. He meant the former. With a bright red face, Seo Yeon glared at Seong Jun resentfully and blurted out.

“Jin Sung does have good taste. Much better than you, Seong Jun.”

“…”

“You mean I look strange dressed differently from usual, right? I understood well. But I like it, so it doesn’t matter.”

Just then, the traffic light changed. Turning his head back to face forward and grabbing the steering wheel, he said as if in passing,

“Your hair looks prettier down than tied up.”

“…!”

His casual voice sounded sincere and straightforward. Whether it was because of the unexpected timing of the compliment or because it came from her husband, she couldn’t tell, but her heart was racing. More than she could handle.

“Even if you’re fishing for compliments, I don’t mind.”

She spoke in an intentionally gruff voice, afraid Seong Jun might hear her rapidly beating heart.

Finding her reaction amusing, Seong Jun chuckled as he turned the steering wheel towards the main road. A moment later, a low voice was heard from beside her.

“The clothes suit you well too. I thought you were making your entertainment industry debut today.”

Seo Yeon smiled at those words. Even if it wasn’t sincere, she felt much better.

As much as she hated to admit it, it seemed her husband still held great significance for her. The fact that she could smile at those words, whether they were jokes or sincere, proved it.

As the navigation announced they had reached their destination, Seo Yeon asked,

“Why were you staring so intently earlier?”

“Earlier?”

Seong Jun asked back, seemingly not understanding. Seo Yeon elaborated.

“In the lobby. You kept staring without saying anything. What were you thinking?”

“Well, even then, I was just thinking how pretty you are.”

A moment later, the car came to a complete stop. At the same time, Seo Yeon felt as if her heart had dropped with a thud.