"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Se-hee asked, eyeing the growing pile of shopping bags at their feet.
"Because you're my emotional support human," Hye-rin said, holding a cream-colored dress against her body. "And because my boss-slash-fiancé insists I need new clothes for the company trip."
Se-hee snorted. "Your boss-fiancé is a control freak with taste, apparently."
"Apparently," Hye-rin muttered, slipping into the dressing room.
When she stepped out again, Se-hee's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Kang Hye-rin, if you don't buy that, I will personally disown you."
Hye-rin blinked, looking at herself in the mirror. The soft blue dress hugged her waist and fell neatly at her knees — elegant but simple. "It's not too much?"
"It's just enough to make every investor wish they had your confidence," Se-hee said dramatically, clapping her hands. "Now twirl. Yes. Perfect. Goddess energy."
Hye-rin laughed, covering her face. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're beautiful," Se-hee shot back. "Own it."
The two moved from dresses to shoes, then to accessories. Hye-rin tried on a pair of modest heels, then a lower pair. Se-hee tilted her head. "You're going to be walking around all day, right? Go with the comfy ones. You can't charm investors if your toes are dying."
"Charm investors?" Hye-rin scoffed. "I'm just supposed to look... respectable."
"Respectably stunning," Se-hee corrected, handing her a pair of earrings. "There, now you're unstoppable."
Hye-rin's phone buzzed just as she admired herself in the mirror.
Joon-hyuk: The driver will pick us up at 8 a.m. sharp. Don't be late.
"Romantic," Se-hee said dryly when she peeked at the message.
"Right?" Hye-rin sighed, sliding her phone away.
They burst into laughter again, and for the first time in days, the tension in Hye-rin's shoulders melted. Shopping with Se-hee felt like breathing after holding her breath too long — loud, chaotic, real.
And as they stepped out of the boutique, arms full of bags and hearts light with laughter, Hye-rin thought that traveling with her best friend might just save her sanity. Because if she had to survive a week with her moody, control-freak fiancé alone… she might actually throw him into the nearest ocean.