Pygmalion

“That’s what I said. Just how many times do I have to tell you the same thing? Just go downstairs and wait for me in one of the chairs.”

When Sungwoo glared at her impatiently, Sukyung stood up. Clearly hesitant, she looked at him for a moment before asking,

“Umm… but why would you have dinner with someone like me…”

“Do you see what time it is right now? It’s after 8 P.M. already. I haven’t eaten anything since noon. My stomach is growling so loudly. Do you understand? I need to eat something. And since you are already here, I want to take you out to compare you to the other women. I need to see how much your appearance has improved. So just be quiet and get down stairs! Hurry up already!”

Sungwoo was such an impatient man. Worried he might spank her again if she asked any more questions, she hurried down stairs. The first floor was completely empty. When she arrived earlier, there was a receptionist at the desk, but not anymore. 

Sukyung sat down and waited. Within a few minutes, Sungwoo came down stairs as well. Putting the hair gown around her, he began brushing her hair. Sungwoo asked, 

“So I guess your brother promised to cut your hair?”

“Pardon? How did you know…”

When Sukyung looked at him in surprise, Sungwoo raised an eyebrow and replied, 

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Your brother went away for three years to study abroad, and based on what I see here, you haven’t gotten a haircut or even a trim in a few years. So your brother probably promised to cut your hair when he returned. It’s so obvious.”

Ah, it made sense to Sukyung now. Watching Sungwoo awkwardly in the mirror, she smiled and replied, 

“You’re right, but… It doesn’t matter anymore. You can cut it if you want…”

“There are plenty of people who beg me to cut their hair. So no, I’m not going to cut your hair when you obviously aren’t interested. I’ll just style it for now. When you’re done with the whole consultation process in my agency, you can go to your brother and get it cut.”

Sungwoo sounded annoyed. With a frown, Sukyung continued to look at him in the mirror and murmured,

“It’s not that I don’t trust your skill…”

“I got it, so just be quiet. I need to think now.”

Sungwoo touched and studied her hair for a moment before walking away. He grabbed some of his tools from the nearby cabinet and began to work on her hair. After wetting it first, he brushed it out. When it was completely straight, Sukyung’s hair almost reached the floor. Sungwoo pumped the chair up higher and studied her hair a while longer with a serious face. Finally, his hands began to work fast. They moved so rapidly that Sukyung couldn’t even tell what was happening. 

Sukyung watched him braid and twist her hair in many different ways. When she used to get her hair done at Jaewon’s salon, the hairdresser there was also very skilled. But it seemed that Sungwoo was even better at this. Sukyung wondered if all other hair designers could do this, or if Sungwoo was especially good. 

Sungwoo made many braided pieces before connecting them all together. He then pinned them and draped a few stray pieces around her face to frame. When Sukyung saw herself in the mirror, she admired a unique and unbalanced hairstyle that looked gorgeous on her. She didn’t even take big breaths, worried she might distract him. 

“Just stay still.”

After giving her this order, Sungwoo went upstairs. He brought down his make up box and did some touch up on her face. He made her eyeliners darker and applied some sparkly powder on her face. 

When he was done, Sukyung saw an unfamiliar looking woman looking back at her. She reached up, wanting to touch her hair, but Sungwoo stopped her.

“Don’t touch it. I didn’t secure everything tightly, so it might come undone. Just leave it alone. Now, we need to go.”

While she waited outside, Sungwoo cleaned up his tools and turned off all the lights before locking behind him. They walked towards his car quietly. 

Sukyung was a little shocked to see his expensive-looking foreign car, but she didn’t say a word. As she got into the passenger seat, she looked around slowly. This was her first time getting into such a luxurious car. She wanted to remember every minute of it. 

The car didn’t make a sound as it moved. To Sukyung’s surprise, they didn’t drive more than five minutes before they arrived at a pretty restaurant. When the car stopped in front, a young man from the nearby booth ran toward them.

“Hello, do you have a reserv… Ah, President Jin, how are you today?”

Sungwoo nodded and got out of the car. Sukyung’s eyes widened as she followed him. She saw the young man getting into the driver’s seat without hesitation. Oh… So this must be what people call valet parking? She has heard of such a thing before, but never seen it in person. But then… She didn’t have a car, and didn’t have any friends who frequented this kind of a restaurant. So it was no wonder she was unfamiliar with it.