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Chapter 13
Wedding preparations progressed rapidly without giving them even a moment to catch their breath. Soon enough, the day to get fitted for the wedding dress arrived. Despite his packed schedule, Do-jin made time for the first time to visit the dress shop with Seo-young.
A moment later, the fitting room door opened.
Wearing a pure white wedding dress, Seo-young slowly stepped out. At that instant, Do-jin’s eyes flickered ever so slightly. Having always seen her in neat, formal suits, her appearance standing before him in a snow-white gown was far more dazzling than he had anticipated. He went to take a step forward without realizing it, only to freeze in his tracks.
Do-jin’s gaze lingered on Seo-young in silence.
“Oh my, it suits you so wonderfully!”
“The bride is so beautiful that it brings out the dress even more.”
Exclamations of admiration poured out from the staff, but those words failed to reach Seo-young’s ears properly. The moment she looked at her reflection in the mirror, a heavy weight sank in her chest. This dress was never meant to be hers.
It was the wedding dress her older sister was supposed to wear.
The garment her sister should have worn with the happiest face in the world. As that thought crossed her mind, her throat went tight. Unconsciously, Seo-young gently clutched the skirt of her gown.
Even though she was wearing such a beautiful dress, she felt no happiness at all.
Instead, she was acutely reminded that she was taking someone else’s place.
Seo-young forced the corners of her mouth up, but the smile reflected in the mirror looked somehow forlorn. Just then, Do-jin, who had been watching her, spoke up.
“Do you not like it?”
Seo-young slowly turned to look at him and gave a small shake of her head.
“No. The dress is pretty… I like everything about it.”
Yet Do-jin couldn’t easily tear his gaze away. The shadows on her face were darker now than when they had first met. Though she was smiling, that smile looked strangely weak and drained of life.
“Your expression looks much gloomier than when I see you at the company. Is it that thing everyone goes through before marriage? Marriage blues.”
Seo-young’s eyes widened slightly.
“No. It’s nothing like that.”
Do-jin stared at her for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“Don’t reveal your true feelings so easily. Consider it a piece of advice. You seem to be the type whose true expressions show right through, even when saying you’re fine. From now on, even in daily life, it would be wise to maintain a poker face just as you do at work.”
Seo-young couldn’t readily reply.
Was I really that obvious?
Do-jin gazed quietly at her face and added:
“Especially when your mind is troubled, as it is now.”
At those words, Seo-young’s fingertips flinched slightly. It felt as though the hidden thoughts she desperately wanted to keep concealed had been caught with pinpoint precision.
Come to think of it, her sister Joo-young had always been a confident person. She knew exactly what she wanted and never hid it.
She had been the same way with Do-jin. Telling him that while she wouldn’t interfere in each other’s private lives after marriage, there was just one condition—he must let her have a child.
Even statements that were hard to utter, Joo-young had delivered without hesitation.
Seo-young looked at herself in the mirror. Her sister would not have shaken like this, even at a moment like this.
She gently ran her fingertips down the fabric of her dress.
She was the one who chose this marriage—no one else. She could no longer afford to remain trapped in guilt. Seo-young took a slow, deep breath and composed herself once more.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Okay.”
Seo-young and Do-jin stepped into an upscale restaurant near the dress shop. Guided by a staff member, the two walked toward the inner seating area.
They sat down and were quietly conversing while waiting for their ordered food to arrive.
Just then, someone stopped in front of their table.
“Uh… Aren’t you Seo-young?”
At the sudden voice, Seo-young’s body froze completely. As she slowly raised her head, her face drained of color in an instant.
Unaware of Seo-young’s reaction, the woman smiled brightly in delight.
“It’s me, Mi-jin! How long has it been? I think this is the first time I’ve seen you since university graduation! But wow, your vibe is totally different from back in college.”
Seo-young couldn’t say a word for a moment. Her heart sank with a thud, and her mind went dizzy.
No, I can’t get caught.
Seo-young spoke up hurriedly.
“I think you have the wrong person.”
“Huh?”
Mi-jin’s expression stiffened.
“Ah… I’m so sorry. You looked so much alike.”
Smiling awkwardly, Mi-jin bowed her head a few times in apology.
“I must have been mistaken. I’m sorry.”
Even as Mi-jin walked back to her companions’ table, she looked back several times. Once she was out of sight, an awkward silence settled over the table.
Without realizing it, Seo-young gripped her water glass tightly. Her fingertips were trembling faintly. Watching her, Do-jin slowly opened his mouth.
“You two must look quite alike.”
Seo-young’s heart began to race. Yet, she forced herself to put on an unbothered expression. Putting strength into her fingertips, she offered a deliberate smile.
“There are plenty of people in the world who look similar.”
Do-jin didn’t answer and simply observed her quietly.
A moment later, he remarked briefly.
“I suppose so.”
Underneath the table, Seo-young’s fingertips gradually stiffened. If things continued like this, she felt as if her secret—that she wasn’t Han Joo-young—would truly be exposed. She swallowed hard.
What would my sister have done in a situation like this?
Closing her eyes briefly before opening them again, Seo-young slowly exhaled. Then, gathering her resolve, she looked at Do-jin.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Desperately trying to imitate Joo-young, Seo-young curled the corner of her lips up with a touch of arrogance and continued.
“Do I look different to you?”
Do-jin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. As if it was a response he hadn’t anticipated, the tension around his mouth gradually eased into a subtle smile.
“Right. People don’t change easily.”
He continued in a low tone, staring right at her.
“It was the same when we first met. A bit arrogant, the kind of person who wouldn’t easily be intimidated by anyone.”
Seo-young’s heart dropped.
“Seeing you now, that side of you remains unchanged.”
“To be honest… there’s just a lot on my mind lately because of the wedding.”
Clasping her hands tightly under the table, Seo-young slowly steadied her breathing. She then continued with a casual face.
“There’s so much to prepare, and I’ve had a lot of thoughts. I guess I was being a bit overly sensitive.”
Instead of replying, Do-jin gazed at her for a moment—as if he were trying to find something else in her face.
Soon, he said calmly:
“That’s understandable. Marriage is something that changes many things, after all.”
The conversation ended there.
Before dessert arrived, he handed his credit card to the staff member and stood up first.
“I’ll take my leave first. I have a lot of matters to handle before the wedding. It seems we won’t have time to meet separately for a while.”
Seo-young looked up at him for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Yes, I understand.”
“However, feel free to contact me whenever you need anything.”
“Yes.”
As he headed straight out, the waiter returned his processed card. Just before he opened the door and vanished, the tiramisu served as dessert tasted of nothing but the bitter flavor of coffee.
Seo-young rose from her seat with a heavy heart. Only a single bite of tiramisu remained left behind at her spot.
Upon returning home, she went straight into her room. Setting her bag down, she stood before the mirror and stared at her reflection for a long time.
The person reflected in the mirror was undoubtedly Han Seo-young. But soon, she tightly pressed her lips together.
“I am not Han Seo-young.”
Her quietly whispered voice trembled. As if trying to convince herself, she slowly parted her lips once more.
“I am… Han Joo-young.”
The more she repeated those words, the colder a corner of her heart grew. Even her own face in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
Even so, Seo-young did not turn her eyes away in the end.
From this moment on, she truly had to become Han Joo-young.
