Pygmalion

Sungwoo replied,

“We have somewhere to go.”

When they got into his car, Sungwoo ordered her to turn around so her back faced him. Feeling nervous, Sukyung did as he ordered while asking,

“Why?”

“Give me your hair tie.”

Sukyung obediently took out a hair tie she kept in her purse and handed it to him. After grabbing a brush from his glove box, Sungwoo brushed her hair and sectioned it. Sukyung was surprised to see that he kept hairpins in his car as well. He began styling her hair quickly. Curious, she tried to turn around to look, but he tapped her head and ordered,

“Stay still or you’ll ruin it.”

“What are you doing? It’s dinner time already.” 

“Just stay still. I’ll get to do something fun tonight.”

When Sungwoo promised, Sukyung muttered, 

“I think your definition of fun is very different from mine, Mr. Jin.” 

With a quiet chuckle, Sungwoo leaned forward and whispered in her ear,

“Don’t worry. I promise that it will be fun.” 

Sukyung cringed, feeling ticklish. Soon, he announced,

“All done. Turn around.” 

This time, he grabbed the makeup box from the back and began to do a quick touch up on her face. He dusted off a few spots and put on a new lip color and eye shadow. He even changed her blush. Because they were inside a dark car, Sukyung wondered if he could even see the colors clearly. But she remained quiet and still. 

After he was finished, Sungwoo grinned in satisfaction and announced, 

“Now, let’s go have some fun.” 

Still feeling nervous, Sukyung kept pulling her shirt down. When they arrived at a place and Sungwoo got out, she followed him. In front of the entrance to the building, he narrowed his eyes and asked, 

“Do you remember what I told you?”

“Yes. If anyone asks, tell them I’m Kim Sukyung, age 20. I want to be an actress and I’m your niece.”

“Good.”

Sungwoo was about to turn around when he glared at her and ordered, 

“And stop slouching.”

Sukyung quickly straightened up, but she frowned and argued, 

“But no one is going to believe that! This is ridiculous.”

“Everyone believes what they are told. They’ll just think you’re a mature 20-year-old. Don’t worry.”

“But how can I claim I’m eight years younger than I really am?!”

Narrowing his again, he asked quietly, 

“Are you saying you don’t trust my skills?”

Sukyung quickly looked down and stammered, 

“O…of course not. It’s just…”

“Then just follow me and don’t worry about anything. You’ll get to experience freedom for the first time tonight. The freedom of a teenager.”

Pulling her closer, Sungwoo added,

“Besides, it’s partly true, isn’t it?”

“What? I’m not a child!” 

“I’m not talking about your age. I’m talking about enjoying freedom.”

Before she had the time to ask what he meant, they entered the dark store. Just like the club they visited before, this place was also underground. But the atmosphere here was very different. This place looked a little more elegant. There were no seats anywhere, and people were standing around while chatting and drinking. 

“Aren’t there any chairs here?”

When Sukyung asked, Sungwoo frowned at her to be quiet. He walked up to the front desk and greeted the young man standing there.

“Hey.”

“Oh, President Jin! Long time no see. How have you been?”

The young man greeted Sungwoo with a bright smile. Sukyung nodded and looked around the area. Tilting his head, he asked,

“Isn’t director Oh here?”

“Director Oh is over there. Did you come here to see him?”

“Well, partly. Sukyung, come over here.”

Sungwoo gestured for Sukyung to come closer. She looked at him hesitantly before walking up to him. Turning toward the young man, Sungwoo explained, 

“This is my niece. She just turned 20.”

“You have a niece?”

The young man studied Sukyung with interest. Feeling her cheeks turn red, Sukyung bowed and greeted, 

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“Wow, she’s so polite. She is nothing like you, President Jin!” 

The young man chuckled and said to Sukyung as he pointed at the center of the shop,

“There is a buffet of food over there, so go right ahead. The drinks on the outer edges are non-alcoholic. The ones in the center have alcohol, so you make sure not to drink them.” 

The man didn’t seem to doubt her age. He didn’t look at her suspiciously or question her. Sungwoo waved her to go eat something. After nervously looking around for a while, Sukyung walked up to the buffet table. 

Sukyung was busy getting a plateful of food when someone asked her from behind,

“Umm, did you come here with President Jin?”

Sukyung was so shocked that she almost dropped her place. Slowly turning around, she replied,

“Well, yeah.”

“Are you his new client or something?”

The girl who spoke to her looked like she was Arum’s age. But with her thick makeup, she looked much older. Standing up straight, Sukyung managed to lie,

“No, he’s my uncle.”

“Your uncle? OMG, that’s crazy! I had no idea President Jin had a niece. It must be awesome to have him as your uncle, huh? Wow, I wish I was his niece too! Do you see him often? How old are you?”