“Oh my, Director! It’s been a long time!”
Sometime after lunch, Hong Geum-soon, the director of Domyeong Boutique, paid a visit. When Eun-ja, an acquaintance, greeted her with a loud voice, the director laughed with a volume that matched. It sounded like shattering glass.
“Oh my! How has everyone been? Kya-ho-ho-ho! Goodness, how long has it been!”
True to her role as a boutique owner, the director arrived in a spectacle, draped from head to toe in primary colors. Eun-ja scanned her up and down with an impressed look.
“My goodness, you’re such a fashionista. Your style is just alive. Not just anyone can pull off clothes like that—only you, Director.”
Eun-ja, who only ever wore clothes bought at the market, envied the director’s flamboyant fashion, from the bright red lipstick to the hairstyle teased out like a lion’s mane. There wasn’t a single detail she didn’t covet. As expected, the director was a recognized fashionista.
“You’re here?”
Manager Moon, having arrived late, welcomed the director. They were old acquaintances.
“Oh, Manager! I hadn’t heard from you, so I thought you’d gone and bought your coffin!”
“I’d have to hurry to live up to your expectations, Director.”
“Aigoo! You’re healthy, right? No issues? At our age, health is everything!”
The uniquely disconnected conversation style of Moksan-Gun began. Happy to have a guest visiting Domyeongjae after such a long time, Eun-ja served instant coffee and chatted incessantly. Living inside Domyeongjae, where the same faces and the same chores repeated daily, she often missed the presence of outsiders—unlike the new girl, who lacked the skill to chime in properly.
“Director, how is your skin so taut at your age? Do you iron it?”
“Botox. Botox is the answer. You can’t get this look without it.”
“Botox? Is it really okay to go around injecting things like that into your face? I find it awfully scary.”
“Don’t you realize your own face is scarier?”
Manager Moon chided her. The director just laughed loudly, acting as if it were nothing.
“How wonderful the world is these days. They have all sorts of things. It’s not that they aren’t available; people just don’t know about them. Nowadays, if you don’t know, you’re a fool.”
“Is that so? Well, since we’re on the subject, should I try getting some?”
Before she could finish, Eun-ja waved her hand dismissively.
“No. I shouldn’t be sticking things in my face. And I don’t think I’m at the stage where I need injections yet.”
“Ee-ee. Not yet; our sister Eun-ja doesn’t have many wrinkles anyway. But if you ever think about it later, just take Manager Moon’s hand and come over. I’ll recommend some good ones.”
“Will I get a discount then? If I bring the Manager, is it two-for-one?”
Manager Moon, who had been listening silently, snorted.
“Why are you dragging me into this when I’m just sitting here? You go get it. I think you’re in urgent need of it. Go get some, even if you have to dig up the floorboards to pay for it.”
“Sister. If I get it done, will I become pretty?”
“You’ll become a little less ugly. You won’t become pretty.”
The noisy conversation flowed back and forth. Just then, Yeonwoo, having received a radio message, stepped into the main building.
“Oh my goodness…”
A gasp escaped the director’s lips as she spotted Yeonwoo. Eun-ja, having glanced at Yeonwoo, whispered into the director’s ear.
“She used to be a secretary in Seoul. Must have been successful. You know, secretary work isn’t for just anyone, is it?”
“Oh, she’s a beauty…”
“She came here to help her mother, but her background is sketchy. It’s very suspicious, Director.”
“My goodness, whether it’s shady or golden, she’s a beauty. Oh my…”
As the director kept gasping, mesmerized, Eun-ja cleared her throat. Seeing her attempts to badmouth Yeonwoo failing to make a dent, she quickly changed her stance.
“See, Director? This is the standard of our Domyeongjae. Not just anyone can get in. From myself included—when it comes to character and looks, if you’re missing even one thing, you can’t work here…”
“Manager. Is this friend the protagonist for today?”
Interrupting Eun-ja, the director stood up. Manager Moon gave a light nod and called Yeonwoo over, who then stood before the director. Not missing her chance to jump back in, Eun-ja spoke to Yeonwoo this time.
“Hey, newbie. This teacher here is a truly wonderful and distinguished designer who makes quite a name for herself in our Moksan-Gun. Say hello.”
“Oh, um, hello. My name is Ji Yeonwoo.”
The outfit, dizzyingly flamboyant, was reminiscent of a peacock. Yeonwoo bowed politely.
“Once you pass through this teacher’s hands, even a plain rice cake turns into a rainbow rice cake. She did the clothes for my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday, and she also tailored the outfits for my daughter’s meeting with the in-laws perfectly.”
“Oh, I see.”
“She has dozens of glittering trophies in her boutique. She’s a real talent, let me tell you.”
Though highly skeptical, Yeonwoo nodded. The director, who had stacked up trophies she’d received for free after joining some nameless association decades ago, approached Yeonwoo and circled her.
“You said it’s for a banquet, right? I’m an expert at those. I’m the number one in all of South Korea.”
Just as Yeonwoo, sensing anxiety, swallowed hard, Manager Moon sipped her coffee and added, “Make sure you do a good job so you don’t smear mud on our Managing Director’s face.”
“Of course! It’s been a while, but my aesthetic inspiration is surging! I’m so excited I could die!”
The combined age of the three women: 216 years. Average age: 72.
Could she really trust this? Yeonwoo shifted her uneasy gaze.
*
It had already been an hour and a half of fitting.
Every time she came out wearing a new outfit, Eun-ja’s mouth would drop open in awe. Yeonwoo appeared wearing an almost fluorescent orange dress, limping slightly because it was tight around her thighs.
“Oh my! This one is good too! What is it? Like a princess who lives in the sea?”
“Sister Eun-ja. A mermaid princess, a mermaid princess.”
“Ee-ee! That’s it! A mermaid princess! My goodness, how does it suit her so well?”
As the director chimed in, Eun-ja clapped her hands loudly and nodded. Yeonwoo stood before the three of them in silence.
The first outfit the director—who had brought bundles and bundles of clothes—pulled out was a bright blue dress. When she used pins to take in the loose waist, Yeonwoo fidgeted, feeling that this wasn’t right. However, the director’s insistence that it was a perfect dress was formidable, Manager Moon—sitting as a judge—was supportive, and Eun-ja’s intense reaction followed.
“As expected, clothes are wings for a person, clothes are wings.”
After trying on seven or eight dresses, Yeonwoo had no thoughts left. The dresses became more flamboyant as they went on; she even thought the first one had been the most decent.
“Nothing beats rayon material. It’s so glossy, nothing else compares. A hundred times better than silk, I tell you!”
The dress, in which breathability was impossible to find even with a magnifying glass, felt far too excessive no matter how she looked at it. Where on earth did she get fabric of these colors? Wearing a dress made of a blinding mixture of orange and red, something she had never worn in her life, Yeonwoo bit her lip hard.
And the waist was cinched so tight that her ribs were beginning to ache.
“Let’s go with this. This one is the best.”
As Eun-ja stated it definitively, Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.
“T-this one?”
“Yes. It really makes your complexion pop. It seems you, newbie, look good in red. Go with that.”
“Ah… but I think this is a bit too flashy…”
With intense reactions following every outfit she stepped out in, she was starting to feel confused. Having tried on several, her body was starting to adapt, and she even began to wonder if this was really the right path.
…No! Absolutely not!
As if snapping out of a trance, Yeonwoo raised her head.
“No. I think this is too flashy. I’d rather have something else…”
“What else? What do you like?”
As if there could be anything she’d actually like. It was a forced choice. Yeonwoo carefully looked at the dresses she had tried on so far, but she didn’t have the courage to wear any of them.
“Oh, I don’t usually bring this one out for just anyone.”
The director stood up as if to use her trump card.
“This is the absolute best. The final boss. If you wear this, you become a princess from a faraway land.”
The director performed a bit of showmanship, slowly digging into her bag. Eun-ja’s eyes shone with expectation, and Yeonwoo, wondering what kind of clothes would emerge from that bag, clenched her dry fists.
“Ah…”
A long sigh burst from Yeonwoo’s lips when she saw the dress. At the same time, Eun-ja stood up and clapped.
“That’s it. That’s the one.”
“If you wear this, won’t it be a sensation? I really treasure this one. I don’t bring it out for just anyone.”
Yeonwoo, who wanted to be the “just anyone” more than ever, shut her eyes tight. Oblivious to her feelings, Eun-ja was so excited that spit flew as she insisted it was the one. Perhaps it looked quite pretty, as even Manager Moon remained silent. Yeonwoo finally let out a breath and opened her eyes.
“I’ll just go with the first one I tried on.”
“Why? You don’t like this? Try it on. Your mind will change once you put it on.”
“No. I think the first one is better. I’ll just go with that.”
“Did you like that one that much?”
“Yes? Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I liked it a lot. Thank you.”
As Yeonwoo hurriedly nodded and spoke, the director put the dress back into the bag, looking disappointed. The golden, sparkling dress covered in layers of tassels was thus sealed back inside the bag.
“Alright, now we need to tailor it to your body, so go put it on again.”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo was handed the first dress she had worn. Was this right? She wondered if the outfit the Managing Director had spoken of was really something like this. But Manager Moon was someone who had worked at Domyeongjae longer than anyone else, so it must be correct.
As if hypnotizing herself, Yeonwoo struggled to think positively. It was true that her judgment was becoming clouded by the constant, intense reactions about how pretty she looked.
‘An outfit I’ve never worn before and one that couldn’t possibly be comfortable—if that’s the criteria, then this fits.’
Besides, hadn’t the Managing Director said as much? It was certainly an outfit that was incredibly uncomfortable and one she had never worn in her life. It was definitely correct, but why did she feel so uneasy?
“It’s going to be a sensation. A real sensation. My goodness, newbie. If you walk in wearing that, they’ll say a fashionable celebrity has arrived.”
Listening to Eun-ja’s voice, Yeonwoo stared blankly at the dress.
Really… this has to be it, right?