Pygmalion

2.6

Sukyung couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her reflection. Her messy hair and light makeup clearly suggested that it was indeed herself in the mirror, but her body looked completely different. Her worst features, which were her thighs and belly, were nowhere to be seen. Thinking that perhaps the mirror was leaning back to make her look elongated, Sukyung checked the angle closely. To her shock, the body-length mirror was standing straight. 

Sungwoo explained, 

“Do you understand now? This is what clothes are supposed to do. You need to learn to hide your faults and emphasize your best features. Your calves are very well shaped, so you need to show them off. Your thighs aren’t great, but they aren’t bad enough that you can’t wear pants. But you can never wear a mini skirt. NEVER. Your legs aren’t long enough to handle it. It will make you look horrible. Get it?”

Sukyung nodded obediently as she continued to stare at herself. She still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It looked like Sungwoo picked random clothes, so how was he able to choose the outfits that suited her so well?

While she admired herself, Sungwoo went back to the clothes and began rummaging through again. He returned with a pair of pants, a blouse, and a jacket. 

“Now, take them off and try these on.” 

This time, Sukyung didn’t hesitate. She took the outer layers off and put the new outfit on. The pants were tight on her thighs before they flared. The blouse he chose had no patterns, and the jacket only reached her waist. 

Sungwoo explained,

“Since you’re short, don’t wear a long shirt or a jacket that covers your thighs.That will only make you look so much shorter. You have rather big breasts for your body, so try not to wear any tops with patterns. It will just end up emphasizing them. When you are wearing a casual outfit, some patterns are okay, but never for a business suit, okay? Bright colors suit you, so don’t go with the achromatic colors. If you want to wear white, pick yellow or pink instead. Black is allowed only when you’re going to a funeral. Brown can work for you, but it’s hard to match another color to it, so don’t even bother. You don’t have the fashion sense to make it work. And just throw away anything gray, got it?”

Sungwoo knelt in front of her and quickly began to fold the bottom of her pants. He grabbed some pins from his pocket and began to fit her. He then went behind her and tightened the jacket around her waist with some more pins. He checked the sleeves carefully before going on to the jacket collars, which he folded them a little. 

“Okay, I think I got the basic shape down. Take it off now.”

When she handed the jacket to him without a word, Sungwoo went to the sewing machine hidden behind the clothing racks. He cut and sewed several areas, and to her surprise, it didn’t take him much time. She stared at him while he worked, and when he returned and handed the jacket back to her, she tried it on again. 

The difference seemed subtle, yet the jacket was completely transformed. Sungwoo said to her,

“The color green suits you very well. It brightens your face, so make sure you wear it often, okay?”

Sukyung stared at her mirror as Sungwoo added,

“Did you hear what I said? Are you going to be able to remember everything I told you today?”

“Umm, yes.”

She nodded and looked at herself in the mirror again. She still couldn’t believe what she saw. She looked… so great. If she looked like this, perhaps Jaewon wouldn’t be embarrassed by her. Just thinking about Jaewon made her smile. If she went to him right now, then…

Oh, wait! Her hair!

Sukyung quickly turned towards Sungwoo. She found him studying her, and it seemed that he had a strange expression on his face. But when she faced him, his face quickly turned blank. He asked,

“You can go now. We’re done for the day.”

“But my hair…”

“We’re not even close to working on your hair. When you develop basic fashion sense, I’ll do your hair, so don’t even think about going near your brother’s shop. If my own sister looked like you, I would ban her from coming within 100 m of my workplace.1 Do you understand?”

The sudden joy she felt deflated like a balloon. She looked down and answered, 

“Alright.”

Suddenly, she felt his large hand grabbing her chin and raising it. Her eyes widened as they met his. Sungwoo warned her,

“I told you to stand tall. Anyone who slouches doesn’t deserve good clothes. Nothing will make a cringing person look good. I’m not asking you to walk like a model, but you need to learn to walk straight. Got it?

Sukyung nodded, but Sungwoo refused to let go of her chin. He raised her face even higher and stared at her. Suddenly, he smiled. Sukyung’s eyes widened even more. An ominous feeling engulfed her, making her sweat. 

“I told you I’ll punish you if you slouch again, didn’t I?”

***