Pygmalion

*Warning: The following material may contain strong language, unusual humor, violence, and sexual contents that readers may find offensive. Please use your own discretion.*

1.2

Sohyang Palace, which was located in Shinsa Dong, was a personal image consulting agency. It was a famous place for helping many supermodels and national beauty pageants win. Here, the customers received a full body treatment. The specialists took time to transform them from head to toe into a better version of themselves. A lot of their customers came from referrals sent by many of the popular hair salons in the area.

The first floor was the hair salon, while the second floor was the wardrobe section. The third floor was the skincare shop, but it was only available to the VVIP customers. The client selection process was rather strict, and only those who the specialists believed could benefit greatly were accepted to the third floor. Anyone who went through the full course of this agency always came out looking gorgeous.

Jin Sungwoo used to be a famous fashion designer in the past. After refusing all the offers from the high end brand companies, he put everything he had into this place, Sohyang Palace. As the owner, he had the freedom to choose his own customers, and he was known to be very picky.

Because it was so hard to get into this agency’s program, its popularity was through the roof. Countless girls and women begged to become his customer, but Sungwoo seemed to have his own rules in selecting his clients. And so far, he has never failed in transforming a woman into the best version of herself.

Sungwoo’s office was spacious. A luxurious sofa and table adorned the center and behind them, there was a large desk facing away from a one-piece giant window. The view of the city was something to behold.

Sungwoo threw Sukyung on the sofa like she was a bag of groceries, and began to go through his mail. After skimming through them, he threw all of them out.

As he took his jacket off, he studied Sukyung again. Her knee-length skirt had ridden up, exposing her chubby thighs and calves. Her blouse and skirt were obviously made of cheap material. They were also out of fashion.

Her hair was too long and unstyled. Sungwoo couldn’t figure out when, if ever, it might have had a trim. It was in a braid, but because of the escaped stray hair, it looked messy and ugly.

This was not the type of woman that frequented Sohyang Palace. There was no way she could afford this place. The people who came here wore at the very least a Cartier watch or a Tiffany’s necklace. Most women wore these things to show off, but it also partly meant that they were rich. After all, the membership fee at the Sohyang Palace was not cheap.

So why did this woman come here? His biggest job was always to figure out what his customers wanted. People tended to lie often, and his mission was to find out the truth. This was the only way to find the real style his customer truly desired.

“But I think this woman needs more than just a change in style.”

With a smirk, Sungwoo turned around and headed towards his desk. He decided to do some paperwork until this woman woke up.

***

Jaewon sat across from Sukyung and said to her bluntly.

“Sukyung, it’s not that I’m not thankful for everything you did for me. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to study abroad and become a hair designer.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to. It was my duty to help you.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Sukyung didn’t help Jaewon because she wanted to hear him thank her. She has supported him since she was 19. She was going to turn 29 this winter, which meant she has been doing this for the past 10 years. She worked in that same office all this time, and everything she made was used for Jaewon’s education. But she didn’t do it because she wanted his thanks.

The problem was, it seemed that Jaewon didn’t understand her at all.

“Sis, you didn’t have to do this at all, yet you did. You took care of me and even paid for my education. I am really thankful, but I’m a grown up now. I can make my own living, so I will pay back everything.”

“You don’t have to do that. After all, we’re family, right?”

“That’s the problem.”

Jaewon’s face turned cold. Holding her breath, Sukyung just stared. Jaewon continued,

“We aren’t family. Sis, we aren’t related by blood. When our parents died, we should’ve lived separately. If we did, your life wouldn’t have been so hard. This is all my fault. I’m sorry.”

When Sukyung was 16, her father married Jaewon’s mother. Jaewon was 15 at the time. He was a tall middle school student who seemed to be too quiet. Three years later, their parents went on a vacation and died from a car accident. They received some insurance money from this, and Sukyung used all of it for Jaewon.

The truth was… Sukyung didn’t do it for Jaewon. She did it for herself because this was the only way to ensure Jaewon would return to her.

Sukyung couldn’t remember when she first fell in love with Jaewon. Was it when he turned from a quiet middle school student into a high school student with a big dream? Was it when she realized how he was blunt to everyone except to her? Was it his smile that made her fall for him?

She didn’t care if they would have to remain brother and sister forever. Just being able to see him once in a while was good enough for her. She would be happy to have him smile at her and call her his sister…

“Umm, Jaewon…”

***