Dry Monsoon

I felt like a doll. Unlike Kwon Lee-Hyun, who had a strong sense of asceticism, Kwon Soo-Yeon on the other hand, had a charming aura. After Soo-Yeon picked up the clothes, I took them and went inside the fitting room. Once I came out every time a group of staff rushed out to me repeatedly and picked up the crumpled clothes I had in my hands and left.

What I couldn’t get was, would clothes be enough to match me up to Kwon Lee-Hyun’s name, so he won’t get discouraged in front of others. However, Soo-Yeon purchased all the clothes like it was nothing and those clothes became my property.

The topic of expenses had already ended a while ago. I was completely worn out, still, I followed Soo-Yeon to a shoe boutique store where I could finally find a sofa to sit on. I just collapsed on the sofa and didn’t even have the energy to notice the brand of the store. I only realised where I was after receiving bottled water from the staff. 

“Are you really tired? Sister-in-law, you’re so weak.”

“Don’t call me sister-in-law. I haven’t even discussed anything with the executive director yet.”

“Discuss? You can discuss it with me. My mom, she does whatever she wants. I don’t think this whole situation is a loss, so why not just accept it, right?”

“I’ll have to think over whether it’s truly a loss or not. Anyway, I’ll discuss it with your brother. But my feet are swollen right now, so I don’t think any shoes will fit me.”

“That’s okay. We’re only going to choose the shoe model today. You don’t have to try it on to see whether it fits or not. I’ll get the measurements sorted out later.”

I nodded while massaging my sore calves. In the beginning, I was sceptical at first about the shopping trip, but there was nothing that couldn’t be achieved with money. Soo-Yeon was the one in charge here, and I knew it well.

Picking up the shoe catalogue, Soo-Yeon chose a few items, and the staff brought them out. Some weren’t available in the store, so instead, the staff gave them descriptions of the items. Their explanations were remarkably vivid as if the shoes were right in front of our eyes. I decided to leave the decision of what to take up to Soo-Yeon. Ugh… picking and choosing pretty things can be really exhausting.

“You don’t have to make it obvious how much you hate it. These all are for you. You think my world is perfect just because I have money. Well, that’s not the case. Everything, every part of me from head to toe, is judged by others down to a penny. If you don’t want to care about what others think of you, you should give up your social life. I have to pay attention to the slightest things that happen. Those shoes the manager brought out, for example, even I can’t get them. Well, if I really wanted to, maybe. But I also have criteria for what I consider luxury. Why do you think some people decide to buy them? Self-gratification? I’m not so sure.”

The manager who stood waiting with the elegantly designed high heels on a velvet tray had a solemn face. They say that value was only meaningful to those who recognized it. After seeing those lavish items were merely shoes, I felt it was a vain consumption that meant nothing to me. 

I leaned on the sofa and stared blankly at the shoe display at the front. Then, I said,

“I’ve tried many times to understand the mind of my clients, but I’ve never thought about the psychology of people who buy better things than me. It’s just…if you like it, isn’t that fine?”

“How many people do you think can get what they want? You’re naive, Ji-Eun.”

“Well, if naivety is related to numbers, then I’m naive.”

“Anyway…I agree that this wedding is like a storm out of nowhere. But my family is going through some complicated matters at the moment too. I’ll summarise the details and organise the contents when I write up the prenuptial contract…”

Soo-Yeon, who trailed off her words, suddenly raised her head as she covered the catalogue. Gazing up at the tall man who appeared in front of her, she broke into a bright smile. 

“You two can discuss the terms and put it in the conditions.”

I followed after her and raised my eyes. The man in front of me was none other than Kwon Lee-Hyun. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he stared at Soo-Yeon with a cold expression and gestured to the manager.

I looked at him in surprise, with my mouth open. It was the first time we were seeing each other since the day we talked about the salt measurements. A moment that quietly changed the topic of the conversation suddenly reserved the atmosphere into a light-hearted one.

Dressed in a grey suit, he dropped down on one knee in front of me without any hesitation. Startled, I drew my legs together and placed the shoes the manager had brought out on my lap. 

“Let’s go with this one. The ones Soo-Yeon chose aren’t necessary. Send it home.”

He gently grabbed my foot and slipped off my shoes. I was flushed red and tried to stop him, but he had already slipped on the new pair he chose. They were the shoes Soo-Yeon had talked about a while ago. It was a luxury to Soo-Yeon, but to someone else, it could mean something more than that. 

“Will they belong to you?” I asked him.

“No, these shoes belong to Lee Ji-Eun.” He said.

“Why?”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

I laughed at the absurdity of the situation. I didn’t want to admit it, but his sudden appearance was equivalent to a saviour. He had saved me from Soo-Yeon’s shopping hell. I decided to hang onto Kwon Lee-Hyun without any worries.

“Of all the things I bought today, these are my favourite.” I told.

“Hmm… is that so? Was shopping with me that boring?” Soo-Yeon asked.

“No. It was hard.”

When I smiled sourly, Soo-Yeon, who had her elbows on her knees, held her chin high and spoke petulantly.

“Can my Oppa buy me shoes? Men don’t usually buy them.”

Lee-Hyun’s eyes narrowed at her words.

“Perhaps.”

He stood up after responding with a vague answer. My feet were swollen and a little stiff, but somehow, the new shoes felt more comfortable than the pair I was wearing before. Lee-Hyun held out his hand, keeping his gaze on me.

“Lee Ji-Eun, you know very well what happens when you try to run away in high heels.”

My eyebrows creased as I accepted his hand and got up. After reminding me of the incident in Germany, he smiled elegantly and picked up my handbag.

“Let’s go. We can’t be late.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll let you know on the way.”

I got up after him and unknowingly looked back at Soo-Yeon. Contrary to his presumption that I felt embarrassed, I waved my hand and laughed, tapping my cheek like keys on a piano.

“See you.”