{KOREAN-ENGLISH}
The maid returned with tea, setting it gently in front of Joon So Min, who took it with a grateful smile. She sipped quietly, letting the warmth calm her nerves.
"How did you meet Seo Jun?" Park Su Ho asked.
So Min blinked. Here it comes.
She smiled, already rehearsing the innocent story Seo Jun had told her to memorize.
"It's... actually a little embarrassing, ma'am," she said with a shy laugh.
She met Park Su Ho's eyes and found, surprisingly, a flicker of kindness there. She's not as cold as I imagined.
"I went out with some friends and got dared to mix someone's drink," So Min began, blushing slightly. "I know it's wrong, and I'm not proud of it. But I did. And... the next thing I knew, I woke up beside Seo Jun."
Park Su Ho raised a perfectly sculpted brow.
"It was love at first sight," So Min added quickly. "We kept bumping into each other, and it just... grew. He told me he had a girlfriend, but he broke up with her for my sake. He's really... the sweetest soul."
Park Su Ho smiled slowly, folding her hands.
"That's so sweet. Fate brought you two together. And thank goodness he left that An Nari. I never liked that girl...too much of a brat, always demanding."
So Min gave a strained smile. The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. Fate didn't bring them together. Chaos did. And if she could go back to that day, she'd walk away and never look back.
"What do you do for a living?" Park Su Ho asked next.
"I work at a small fashion store. Mat and Made," So Min replied, voice a little brighter.
"That's nice."
The afternoon passed more gently than she expected. They spoke about fashion, about the weather, even shared laughter as Park Su Ho showed her old baby photos of Seo Jun. He looked adorable in them,chubby cheeks, big eyes, and a surprisingly mischievous grin.
Before she left, Park Su Ho handed her a large garment bag filled with the ruined show gowns.
"It's up to you now," she said with a gentle smile.
So Min nodded, heart racing. She hadn't expected this woman to be so warm,so normal. Perhaps the Lee family wasn't the cold, elitist group she'd feared. At least, not all of them.
"Oh, and Seo Jun won't be meeting you today," Park Su Ho added. "He's visiting his grandmother."
So Min blinked. That was news to her. She only nodded politely and said goodbye.
⸻
Back home, Choi Hura, her stepmother, was waiting.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
"I was with Hye Sua," So Min lied.
Choi Hura handed her a letter.
"This came for you."
So Min read it quickly and froze.
"So you and Hye Sua got in trouble for molestation?" Choi Hura asked, raising a brow.
"Yes. I'll go to the station tomorrow with her," she said, swallowing hard.
"Have you eaten dinner yet?" her stepmother asked, surprising her.
"Yes."
"Let's watch a movie together. I bought some amazing biscuits and I have soju."
So Min blinked again. Her stepmother was being... nice?
She sat beside her on the couch. Whatever strange mood Choi Hura was in, So Min wasn't going to ruin it. She simply enjoyed the company.
⸻
The next morning, Joon So Min finished mending the gowns. Her fingers ached, but the dresses looked stunning,redesigned, reimagined, and flawless.
A driver arrived to pick her up for the show.
⸻
The venue was grand. Already, influencers strolled across the red carpet, posing and laughing, their outfits glittering under the flashing lights.
So Min swallowed hard and stepped out. She wasn't one of them. She didn't belong here.
But she was invited.
"So Min, you're here!" Park Su Ho greeted her warmly. Dressed in a stunning designer gown, she looked every bit the queen of the night.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Let's go," she said, leading her through the back entrance.
Inside, chaos buzzed in hushed tones. The models, still barefaced and anxious, sat quietly. Their dresses had not yet arrived until So Min stepped in.
She unveiled the redesigned gowns.
Park Su Ho's eyes widened.
"You don't like them?" So Min asked nervously.
"No," Park Su Ho said, eyes still fixed. "I love them. They're even better than before."
So Min exhaled in relief.
The models dressed swiftly, hair and makeup teams working overtime. One by one, they were sent onto the runway.
"You ready?" Park Su Ho asked.
So Min nodded, walking beside her.
They took seats in the front row. The audience whispered, casting curious glances at So Min.
Who is she?
Why is she sitting with Park Su Ho?
So Min pretended not to notice.
Then,click click click,heels approached.
An Nari arrived.
Wearing a stunning designer dress and black sunglasses, she strutted to the front row with a group of influencers like she owned the show.
Park Su Ho stiffened.
"Who let her in?" she hissed to her assistant.
"Ma'am, her friends were invited. She came in with them."
Park Su Ho narrowed her eyes, then turned back to So Min.
"You alright, dear?"
So Min nodded, offering a small smile.
Then she saw him.
Lee Seo Jun.
He walked in with Lee Min Jun and another man. Older, sharp-featured, with the same commanding presence.
It was Lee Yun Jun, the eldest of the Lee brothers.
Her eyes locked with Seo Jun's across the room. Her breath caught. It had been days since she last saw him, and suddenly, here he was staring back at her like no one else existed.
The show began.
The lights dimmed. The music rose. One by one, models walked the runway in So Min's reimagined designs. The room burst into applause.
The show ended in triumph.
Park Su Ho stood, welcoming guests and shaking hands.
"It was all thanks to my dear So Min," she said proudly, pulling her forward.
"Hello," So Min said with a deep bow.
"You designed these clothes?" a wealthy-looking woman asked.
"I didn't design them from scratch. I just redesigned what was damaged," So Min replied with a soft smile.
Whispers echoed in the crowd.
Who is she?
She's talented.
She's with the Lee family now?
From her place among the guests, An Nari glared behind her sunglasses, her smile tight.
She didn't clap.