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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: I Can't Wear This
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Water poured fiercely from the showerhead, soaking Do Hyun's body.
As he repeatedly washed his face under the streaming water, Do Hyun suddenly recalled Yi Yeon's bold confession, and a chuckle escaped his lips.
Yi Yeon, who had faced her feelings head-on and confessed so straightforwardly without any games—her image lingered before his eyes, shy yet determined to say what needed to be said.
Who could dislike or resist a woman like that?
Finishing his shower, Do Hyun dried himself off with a towel.
But then a nagging doubt made him tilt his head. It was strange.
At first, Yi Yeon's cheeks had been clearly dotted with prominent freckles.
He had no idea how endlessly he had stared at her face during that time. He could have even memorized the number of freckles if he'd kept going.
When he had freely teased her flushed cheeks after her spirited confession and finally pulled his hand away, the freckles had faded dramatically.
Just like wiping away water with a towel, the freckles had been wiped clean.
Do Hyun was momentarily stunned, wondering if his hand had some kind of magic.
It was an absurd assumption.
After his shower, Do Hyun checked his phone and saw a missed call.
-Yeah, still no news?
As soon as Do Hyun called back, Gap Su asked about his grandchild.
"Yes, not yet."
-Are you even trying? Have you at least checked if there's any health issues?
"We're both too young and healthy for you to worry. And no need to worry about overflowing desires either."
-Hmm hmm.
At the mention of "desires," Gap Su let out an awkward cough, sounding embarrassed.
-So when are you coming over for a meal? I'll brew some herbal tonic for you.
"I told you it's fine without that stuff. Relying on medicine isn't good. But since there's no risk of the line going dead, stop worrying. You're just getting more gray hairs."
-You little punk!
"I gotta go make that grandchild now, so I'll call you back."
* * *
"What is this! You know I had a big part in this too, right?"
When Yi Yeon confessed that she and Do Hyun were now dating, Ha Yul was thrilled beyond belief.
"I mean, uh? I hoped you two would work out, uh? You have no idea how hard I worked!"
Ha Yul pinched her nose and pretended to sob.
"How hard did you work? Spill the details."
"It's too tiring to go into detail. Even booking that salad place for my bestie who now needs to watch her figure—isn't that effort too?"
"Wasn't it because you wanted salad?"
"What are you talking about!"
Yi Yeon knew full well that Ha Yul's own figure maintenance was part of the package.
"Thanks so much, you're the best."
Ha Yul nodded triumphantly and dug into her food with her fork. She must have been hungry; the salad seemed to melt away in her mouth.
"What did the Vice President say? But you should've played hard to get a bit before confessing. Wasn't it too quick to lay your heart bare? You gotta drag it out, make the guy squirm!"
"If you like someone, you say so. If not, you say no. Why play games? I don't get it. But I didn't accept right away that day! It wasn't on purpose, but I agonized over whether this relationship was right, so I gave my answer a few days later!"
Ha Yul burst out laughing as if it were hilarious. She picked up the gift box from the chair beside her and handed it to Yi Yeon.
"Anyway, here! A gift. You'll see why you need to watch your figure once you start dating!"
"What's this?"
Yi Yeon took the gift, her eyes widening in surprise.
"You'll see. Open it quick. It seems perfect for you right now, friend."
Yi Yeon tilted her head curiously and unwrapped the box Ha Yul had given her.
"What is this, Im Ha Yul?"
"Why? It's perfect for you now. Do you know how hard it was for me to pick this out?"
Yi Yeon carefully lifted the red lace lingerie from the box.
"You've lost your mind. How am I supposed to wear this?"
"Why would they sell it in a lingerie store if you can't wear it? Wear it! Guys go crazy for stuff like this."
"No, I can't wear it."
"No, you have to."
"I don't have anything this flashy in my lingerie drawer!"
"That's why I bought it? With your face, just standing there in this red set... Ah, I wanna see it. I'm shivering just imagining it."
Why are you the one imagining it!
Rushing out to buy lingerie the moment she heard the good news.
"That's actually why I wanted to meet you today."
Yi Yeon brought up the dilemma she'd been pondering, just waiting for the right moment.
"Why?"
Yi Yeon let out a small sigh, organizing her thoughts.
"The truth is... the Vice President still doesn't know my real appearance."
"Huh? You confessed? Didn't my push work?"
What push?
"So you confessed with this face?"
It irked her a bit to hear "this face," but it wasn't wrong, so Yi Yeon nodded quietly.
That made her heart even more complicated.
"Vice President An Do Hyun is something else. He's the kind of guy women want to snatch up, but he confessed to a woman men wouldn't want to snatch."
"Who says there's a man out there who wouldn't want to snatch me?"
Yi Yeon pouted, feeling wronged.
"I'm kidding, kidding!"
As Ha Yul waved her hands dismissively, Yi Yeon's eyes relaxed.
"I don't know. Hiding it feels off, and I can't hide it forever, so I feel like I should tell him now, but the words won't come out."
"You're not ready to accept yourself yet. You've always hidden it! You need to change a bit. It's not easy to find someone who likes you for you. Especially like that! But look, that rare guy is the Vice President. If you tell him straight, he'll understand."
"......"
"You have to try too. Get out more in your real appearance. I bet the Vice President would say it doesn't matter what you look like. And honestly, it's better this way! Better than getting uglier, right?"
"Well, sure."
"While we're on the topic, let's go get photos taken. You've always worn that wig or whatever, and we barely have any pics from our younger days! Might as well use this to get used to being the real Yi Yeon."
"What if we get caught after going out?"
"Caught by who? The Vice President? If you're that worried, take a weekday off and meet up. Take pics, build confidence, then head home before he gets off work."
It wasn't a bad plan.
That way, she wouldn't run into Do Hyun at the office.
⋮
This Friday, Do Hyun had back-to-back meetings with external clients all day, so he wasn't coming into the office.
This was the day!
Yi Yeon took the day off.
The best days for a secretary to take off comfortably were the ones when the boss wasn't at the company.
Days when she could boldly tell her direct superior she was taking a break.
Today was that day.
Days when Do Hyun couldn't come in due to long meetings were rare in a year, but to snag one so soon.
It felt like the heavens were cheering her on.
When Do Hyun asked what she was up to, Yi Yeon said she was meeting Ha Yul and planned to get some photos taken together.
Of course, in a different look than usual.
- Yu Yi Yeon! Answer if you're up! I was seriously debating breaking into your place thinking you'd run, but I don't know your newlywed home address?
"No, I just woke up. I did think about running."
-I'll kill you if you ghost me!
Yi Yeon smiled contentedly at Ha Yul's shout.
Thanks to Ha Yul bringing her to that last event, she felt a bit more nonchalant about heading out than before.
Ha Yul was super excited about taking friendship photos together after so long.
She insisted on matching dress codes, suggesting dresses with cardigans to fit the arriving autumn...
Yi Yeon decided to go all in since it had been ages since she'd taken photos. She had no suitable clothes no matter how she rummaged through her closet, so she'd bought some on her way home from work yesterday.
Sneaking around in her other appearance behind his back did feel like deceiving Do Hyun. She really should show him her real face as soon as possible.
Sometimes, when she saw her true face, her uncle Yeop's words came to mind.
That must be why she hated seeing it so much. Her original face.
But thinking about it now, it seemed to be changing little by little.
When she looked at her bare face, her first thought was that she needed to tell Do Hyun soon—what would he say?
Her mind was filled with thoughts of Do Hyun.
Once her benchmark shifted to what the person she liked would think, her heart felt much more at ease.
She had high hopes she'd do better today than last time.
She needed to overcome it quickly to tell Do Hyun.
Yi Yeon slipped into a deep maroon dress and draped a white short cardigan over it. The delicate dress paired with the snug cardigan made her look fresh and innocent.
She neatly pinned up her hair with clips.
After adding loose waves to the sides and light makeup, Yi Yeon headed to the studio where Ha Yul was waiting.
Even in this unfamiliar outfit, it felt joyful—like a proper day off outing.
The autumn breeze rustled gently, dragonflies circling the sky as if cheering her on.
The wind seeping through her scalp without the wig felt refreshing. Yi Yeon hoped the uplifting mood would linger.
It would be nice to stroll hand-in-hand with Do Hyun on a day like this, greeting the swaying breeze together.
After walking for a while, the path felt familiar. It was like heading to work.
The studio wasn't far from the office.
When she asked Ha Yul why a studio near the company, Ha Yul said it was famous and did great work, so she absolutely wanted to do it there.
And so they arrived at the studio. Ha Yul was already there waiting.
The studio had several rooms set up with various concepts for photos. The photographer, who seemed barely mid-20s, stared at Yi Yeon and Ha Yul in a daze for a moment upon their entrance, then excitedly guided them in.
"With two beauties like you, my heart's already pounding—the shots are bound to be masterpieces."
The young man had solid sales skills.
After showering them with compliments like carrots, he requested poses.
"This pose is trending now." "This angle looks best in this set." He had them try pose after pose. Yi Yeon and Ha Yul ate up the praise, struck the poses, got more praise, struck more poses, and cycled through several set rooms.
"You two don't need any retouching. You're already stunning—overdoing it would be a loss. Check this out. Raw image."
Ziiing-.
Just then, Yi Yeon's phone rang.
It was a call from Do Hyun.
