Pygmalion

Sukyung announced, 

“I have a month till I start my new job.”

“So you wanna meet some guys before then?”

When Sungwoo asked bluntly, her face reddened. She stammered,

“N…no, not that. It’s just… When I start my new job, it will just be hard for me to come here so often for hours at a time to learn, so…”

“Fine, fine. Well, I’m sure we’ll finish everything by then anyway. We still have a lot to do, but let’s try to get as much done as possible.”

Saeun, sitting in front of a makeup table, looked at him awkwardly. On the table were all kinds of makeup neatly arranged in different rows, but to Sukyung, they all looked about the same. So what was he going to do with them? 

Sungwoo began, 

“The most important thing in doing the makeup is your skin. Thankfully, your skin is in pretty good condition, so if you put some effort into maintaining it, it will help you. We’ll get some facial done next time. For today, we’re gonna focus on the makeup itself.”

Sukyung nodded as he sat down next to her. He ordered, 

“Now, try doing your normal makeup.”

It didn’t take her long to finish. When she was almost done, Sungwoo looked extremely annoyed. Sukyung was about to put on lipstick when he yanked it away from her. 

“Stop it. Just go wash it all off and come back.”

Why did he bother making her do it if he was going to get angry like this? Sukyung was frustrated with his method, but she still grabbed the cleansing oil and headed to the washroom. When she returned, Sungwoo was drawing something in his sketchbook again. When he saw her, he closed it and looked up at her. 

“Sit.”

Sukyung obeyed meekly. After applying the toner and the lotion, Sungwoo looked at her in the mirror as he explained, 

“Like I said earlier, your skin is the most important thing in makeup. You need a clean blank canvas to create art, right? So you need to spend a lot of time and effort in putting on the foundation. Since you aren’t an actress who usually ends up wearing thick makeup for the bright light, you need to be even more careful to make sure it looks clean and natural. Any smudges will look obvious, so watch me carefully.”

Using his long finger, he began to apply the primer on her face gently. 

“It’s best to use your own fingers to apply the primer and the foundation. The heat from your finger will make it stick better. Be gentle when you tap the material onto your face.”

Sukyung closed her eyes as she felt her body begin to relax. The soft tapping of his finger felt like an amazing massage as they roamed around her face. She couldn’t remember the last time someone touched her face. She had lived alone way too long.

“Why is your brother so important to you?”

At an unexpected question, Sukyung’s eyes opened wide. But when she saw his calm face, she realized that he was only trying to make conversation. With a small sigh, she closed her eyes again and replied, 

“Because it has been just the two of us for a long time.”

“What about your parents?”

“They died in a car accident.”

“Then you raised your brother by yourself?”

“Yeah, we didn’t have anyone else.”

Sungwoo’s finger continued to tap on her face tenderly as it moved down to her neck. Sukyung felt so relaxed that she wished this would last a long time. 

“And how long has your brother been in the beauty industry?”

“He began when he was 17. After he graduated high school, he went full time. I know he didn’t start his career as early as some other kids, but he was really good. He is very talented.”

A happy smile appeared on Sukyung’s face. She remembered that time fondly. She was busy because she just began her first job, and Jaewon was busy as well working in the hair salon. But it was just the two of them, and they were happy. She remembered seeing Jaewon looking so tired and his fingers cracking from harsh chemicals, but he seemed so happy as he talked about his day. While he chatted, Sukyung used to place calming ointment on his hands and used a fan to cool him down when it was too hot. At the time, Sukyung was just as tired from her own work, but she was only happy to do whatever she could do for her brother. 

“Didn’t your parents leave you guys any money?” Sungwoo asked.

“A little, but not much. My father’s business wasn’t doing that great, so there were a lot of debts to be taken care of. When I think back, I think we were scammed by some people too, but we were too young. I’m just thankful that I got a job so quickly. At the time, Jaewon wasn’t making much money.”

Suddenly, Sukyung realized she had said her brother’s name out loud. She opened her eyes in surprise, but Sungwoo didn’t seem to have noticed. She realized Sungwoo didn’t care who her brother was. He probably didn’t even know who Jaewon was. She sighed in relief as Sungwoo asked, 

“So how were you able to send him abroad to study? You weren’t obligated to do something like that.”