CHAPTER 85

Luca pushed her hurriedly into the fitting room. Minhee mechanically changed into the dress she had received.

[Luca, I think the neckline is too deep on this one, and the skirt is torn…Ah, it’s a slit.]

Minhee peeked out from behind the fitting room door, unable to go out.

[Luca, I’ve never worn clothes like this before, so it feels awkward.]

Luca jerked the door handle open. Minhee’s shoulders slumped involuntarily.

[Straighten your shoulders, sweetie. You can’t wear that dress with that posture. Neck out, chin down, shoulders back, arms to the side!]

Luca commanded, his brow furrowed in imitation of Taejun’s, and Minhee involuntarily corrected her posture. Luca then dramatically wrapped both hands around his head.

[Perfect!!]

As Luca had said, the midnight blue color made Minhee’s skin look porcelain-like and smooth, and it also matched well with her hair color. The off-the-shoulder top had a slight heart-shaped neckline that revealed her cleavage, and with each step, her left leg was pleasantly exposed through the deep slit in the skirt. However, the luxurious fabric and exquisite tailoring made the exposure look elegant and refined.

Minhee was a little confused at the sight of herself in the mirror.

‘Is this really me?’

A mature, sophisticated, and even slightly sexy woman in her twenties stood in front of the mirror. Luca nodded in satisfaction as he looked at her through the mirror.

[Now, I’ll tell you the grand finale of my plan. The makeover is just the beginning, Sweetie, listen up, you’re going to wear this dress, and you’re going to have a fiery fling with every other man at the gala].

[…What?]

Minhee jerked her head around to look at Luca like he was crazy, and he turned her chin to face the mirror.

[Look in the mirror. Does this appearance appeal only to our boss? Other guys have eyes, too. When other guys approach you, just smile and talk to them. If you find someone you like among those who ask for your contact information, give it to them.]

Minhee heaved a deep sigh.

[Luca, I don’t have the mental space to meet someone else right now.]

[Ugh, you’re so stubborn! Who’s asking you to actually meet someone? You just have to ‘pretend’ to flirt with other men in front of our boss, got it? Pretend!]

[…!]

As Minhee understood Luca’s intention, her mouth fell open wide, and Luca let out an exaggerated sigh.

[Haha. Minhee, you’re strangely similar to Boss. The boss is incredibly smart, but there are many things he doesn’t know, and you’re quick-witted, but you’re oblivious.]

[I get it, Luca! It’s to make him jealous, right?]

[That’s right. Because when you’re holding something in your hand and someone takes it away from you, it’s a wake-up call. Whether you want to keep holding onto it or not. You might think it’s cliché, but jealousy is the easiest way to test love. And if this method doesn’t work, just give up. And meet another man! There are plenty of great men in Manhattan.]

Minhee, who was deep in thought, raised her head and looked at Luca with a troubled expression.

[Luca, there’s a big flaw in this plan.]

[Flaw? What flaw could there be in such an intuitive, obvious, history-proven effective cliché?]

[The assumption that the men at the gala party will naturally be interested in me?]

Luca shook his head and let out a light sigh.

[I don’t understand why you’re worrying about that. You’re not just anyone, you’re the woman who broke through that fearsome Baek TJ. Have a little more confidence. You’re a really great woman, Minhee.]

[…Thank you, Luca. But I’m a bit uneasy about testing Mr. Baek’s feelings in that way.]

[Sweetie, just do as I say. This is not only for your benefit but also for mine.]

[What do you mean?]

Minhee looked at Luca with a surprised expression. He spoke carefully with a serious expression that she had never seen before.

[The man who was as sharp as a pointed spear became more human-like after meeting you. Before that, he seemed to be hanging on to life, somehow unstable, as if he had no attachment to living. It was as if he had no regrets about dying, maybe because of PTSD from being wounded in battle. I felt sorry for him. But these days, he laughs, and he’s making an effort to get along with people. He’s showing interest in those around him like never before. And the most important thing is…]

Luca lowered his voice as if sharing a secret, and Minhee listened eagerly.

[The most important thing is…?]

[His bonus doubled this year! And it’s not even half the year yet!! Just the other day, I got a bonus for all the hard work I’ve been doing making restaurant reservations, and this all happened after you came in].

[…]

Luca pushed Minhee back into the fitting room, chuckling.

[Sweetie, we’re friends, right? So, think of it as helping a friend, and let’s go pay for that dress quickly.]

*

“Miss Minnie, Princess Rose is here!”

“Awww! Rose, you look so pretty!”

Rose twirled around as she entered Minhee’s room. Giggling and diving onto the bed with her arms outstretched, Rose was a fluffy ball of fluttering pink dress.

The colorful plastic tiara fell off her braided hair. Her pudgy fingertips were painted with nail polish in every color of the rainbow, done by the weekend nanny.

[English, please! I understood the gist of what you were saying, but Princess Rose, it’s an honor to meet you. You’re as beautiful as a rose!]

Luca chuckled as he picked up the tiara and placed it back on Rose’s head.

[Luka, I like your outfit color. It’s so pretty.]

Rose fiddled with the front of Luca’s ice-blue tuxedo jacket.

[Rose, you have a lot of sense for a six-year-old. This is this season’s Jim Brown.] 

Luca spread his arms and made a stylish turn.

[Rose is Jim…… Pink this season].

Rose stepped off the bed and imitated Luca’s turn, spinning around a few times.

It was a Friday afternoon, and at Taejun’s request, the weekend nanny had taken over to look after Rose. Minhee was worried about Rose because it was the first time Taejun and Minhee had ever gone out for dinner at the same time.

But the little girl was thrilled by the bustle of people in the house and ran up and down in a frenzy of excitement. Then she put on a bathrobe and pestered the weekend nanny to give her a “princess makeover” like Miss Minnie. These days, Rose wanted to copy everything Minhee did.

Minhee was in the process of having her makeup done, wearing a soft, white robe. Francine, a quick-handed, reticent make-up artist from Taiwan, had met Luca many years ago when she was working as an assistant at a fashion show and had become close over a smoke.

[Francine is the best at applying make-up to Asian faces, she told me in confidence, and she learns a lot from watching Korean beauty videos. She’s been busy with a lot of bridal makeup requests, but I’ll try to make it work somehow.]

Luca was determined to transform Minhee, like a fairy godmother waving her magic wand. If it hadn’t been for Luca’s skilled maneuvering, it would have been impossible to book Francine in a matter of days.

The dress she’d spent a fortune on, thanks to Luca’s exasperated support, hung on the bathroom door. Minhee had to try on and take off eleven dresses to find that one.

Her hands shook as she swiped her credit card, which had a paltry limit, for a dress that still had three zeros on the price tag, even after the sale.

When she first heard Luca’s plan in the fitting room, she thought it was childishly clichéd and simple, but before she knew it, she had been swept away by the strong current and ended up here.

Minhee, with her hair and makeup done, put on the dress and the silver high heels, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair, which Francine had taken special care to style, was not her usual calm straight hair. Natural waves with added volume gently framed her face.

After juxtaposing her against the dress and analyzing her face with Luca, Francine applied makeup that emphasized her large eyes. She minimized the heavy shading typical of American makeup that doesn’t suit Asians and instead did Korean-style makeup that highlighted Minhee’s natural skin tone and lip color. Satisfied, Francine lightly tapped the brush.

[Perfect, Francine Honeybunny, you’re the best].

[Luca, don’t call me by those weird nicknames.]

Francine grumbled as she packed up her makeup tools, but Luca paid no attention and kept taking picture after picture of Minhee on his phone. He then muttered as he scrolled through the photos.

[Sweetie, do you remember the name of the pervert in Greek mythology who fell in love with the statue he created?]

[Uhh… Pygmalion?]

[That’s right, Pyg. I can kind of understand that pervert now. And I also understand why these kinds of scenes appear so often in movies and dramas. This is really rewarding! Minhee, you’re truly beautiful. Radiant, elegant, and sexy. If I weren’t gay, I would have asked you on a date in this dress. Your ‘makeover’ is a huge success.]

Luca looked up from his phone and smiled brightly at Minhee. Minhee looked into the mirror. Her heart was pounding.

The ‘toddler’ who had been mocked by the Rosewood High students was nowhere to be found. The captivating woman in the mirror looked back at her with trembling excitement and confidence. Regardless of Luca’s intentions, this was enough for her. Minhee sincerely told Luca,

[Thank you so much, Luca. It’s all thanks to you.]