Is It a Dream? Or Not?
"Of course! It would look amazing on you!"
"Hmm? Really? In what way?"
At my immediate reply, she narrowed her eyes as if testing me.
If I failed to answer properly here, she'd seize on it as an excuse to grill me further.
After a brief moment of thought, I decided to go bold.
A half-hearted answer would be worse than saying nothing at all.
"...Haha. What would I know, but first of all, Mother, you're incredibly glamorous, aren't you? With a figure this good, there's no way it wouldn't suit you. Plus your skin is cool-toned, so a red like this really flatters you. And most of all... it would match your sensual atmosphere perfectly."
A line that went past licking her boots and straight into sucking up to her.
But she didn't seem to mind it much; a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Somehow your flattery just keeps getting better, doesn't it?"
"No! It's not flattery! It really would look great on you!"
"Well, fine. I'll trust Teacher Kang and buy one. But if it doesn't suit me, you'd better be prepared later."
She seemed a little buoyed by the praise, continuing the shopping with a strangely brighter expression.
I stuck right by her side, forced to deliver real-time reviews of every piece of lingerie.
—Wow. This one's nice, right? It'll accentuate your hips and make the lines fall so beautifully.
—Ohhh. That one suits you so well too. The material's luxurious—perfect for you, Mother.
—Whoa. There's really no color that doesn't look good on you, is there? Must be because you've got such a great figure?
I avoided any comment that could be picked apart.
Only endless positivity and praise poured out.
Something I'd learned after dating more than a few times: when shopping with a woman, half-baked critiques are basically suicide.
Just stand there and mindlessly praise, and she'll filter it herself.
Acting cold and pointing things out only leaves her feeling disappointed.
Even the great Han Gyeowool wasn't much different.
She seemed to like my all-positive attitude; before long she was completely immersed in shopping.
She'd even forgotten her original goal of messing with me.
She kept busy showing me this piece and that, asking for my opinion.
"Teacher Kang. How about this? Is it a bit too revealing?"
"Nah. It's just pretty."
"Hmm. The color seems a little too flashy too."
"Flashy? Not at all. Honestly, just looking at you, you look like you're in your twenties. Pastel tones like this will suit you well."
"...Is that so? Then should I buy this too?"
"I think it looks fine. With lingerie, having more never hurts."
"Alright. Then let's check this out together too."
She was already on her ninth set of lingerie.
Only after finishing the payment did she flinch in surprise and stare down at her own hands.
I could hear her somewhat ditzy inner thoughts.
You got way too focused on shopping.
I came in to crush Teacher Kang's spirit.
How did it end up like this?
She scolded herself like an idiot.
It was so cute that a snicker escaped me without thinking.
I took her bags for her and whispered casually.
"Shopping with you is somehow fun. It feels completely different."
At those words, Han Gyeowool's shoulders twitched.
Then her cheeks slowly began to flush.
Anyone could see she was flustered, but she pretended to be unbothered and walked on haughtily.
"...So random. Anyway. Since we're here, I should buy some heels too. They're on the third floor, so hurry up and follow."
She walked far ahead as if to hide her burning face.
I deliberately kept a bit of distance and slowly followed her.
She really did have a strangely cute side to her.
After going in and out of several more stores, my hands were soon full of shopping bags.
From her lingerie to bags and heels.
Just by the prices alone, it easily looked like over ten million won.
As expected of a successful chairwoman—her spending was on another level.
"Good work, Teacher Kang. Leave the bags at the counter over there. Driver Yoon will pick them up later."
She only finished shopping once evening had fully set in.
At least she wasn't completely stingy; she offered a meal for all the trouble I'd gone through.
"Got time? Let's grab something to eat at the lounge here before you go."
I'd been running around attending to her all day and had gone completely hungry.
She seemed a little awkward about that too; it showed on her face.
When we headed up to the top-floor lounge, a female staff member in a tuxedo quickly approached.
She recognized Han Gyeowool at once and politely guided us inside.
"This way, please."
The staff led us to a window seat with a beautiful view.
Around us, people who clearly looked well-off sat quietly enjoying their meals.
I was looking around with open curiosity when Han Gyeowool finally sighed lightly and spoke.
"Stop looking like it's your first time. It's not like you're advertising the place."
Her scolding didn't bother me in the slightest.
A diamond-grade service that cost hundreds of thousands of won per meal.
How could I feel bad when she was treating me to food that expensive?
"I've never been somewhere like this before. The atmosphere's great, and the night view is gorgeous."
"Well, if you keep listening to me well, I might bring you here now and then."
"Huh! Really? Then I'll serve you with absolute loyalty from now on!"
"...You're so light. A man should have a little more weight to him."
"Haha. When Mother's buying me a meal, what's dignity worth? I've got to wag my tail a little."
She seemed secretly pleased by the flattery; her lips twitched.
Of course, on the outside she still played it cool and didn't show it.
"Anyway with the talk. Just pick a menu already. You must be starving."
"What would you like, Mother?"
"Just pick anything for me. I only came to treat Teacher Kang."
"Whoa. I'm completely moved. I'll eat with real gratitude."
"It's nothing much."
I quickly opened the menu and started choosing what I wanted.
Most of the dishes were ones I'd never seen before, so I was briefly lost, but soon I could pick with her explanations.
"You ordered nothing but meat? Do you like meat?"
"Of course. My hobby is grilling meat. I especially love beef."
At those words, Han Gyeowool's shoulders flinched.
Had she remembered eating the beef stir-fry in the dream?
A complex mix of emotions flickered in her eyes.
Soon the food we'd ordered arrived.
I served her first, then began eating.
At the same time, to watch her reaction, I brought up the beef again.
"Wow. This place really lives up to the price. How can beef be this tender?"
"Pfft. Suits your taste?"
"Yes. Perfectly. This is the second-best beef of my life."
In that instant, Han Gyeowool's fork stopped dead.
She stared straight into my eyes for a moment.
As if gauging something, she watched me for a long while before her lips finally moved.
"...Second-best. Then what's the first?"
"......"
I deliberately held my silence for a beat at that question.
Tension stretched through the quiet.
Just as her patience was about to reach its limit, I suddenly laughed heartily and gave a completely off-the-wall answer.
"Haha! Obviously the beef from my house! My parents used to run a butcher shop back in the day!"
"...Haa."
She looked completely deflated by my answer and rubbed her forehead once.
I pretended not to notice and casually asked her.
"Huh? Why, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"...No. It's nothing."
She wordlessly started moving her fork again.
Then at some point she stopped once more and tossed out a rather sudden question.
"Teacher Kang. Just suddenly curious—do you dream often?"
"Dreams? The ones you have when you sleep?"
"Yes. Those dreams. Something just came to mind."
"Well, I dream pretty often. Nightmares too, sometimes."
"Recently? Like... a dream about a woman or something."
Even as she asked, she sharpened her eyes as if trying to read my expression.
Seeing that, a mischievous plan suddenly flashed through my mind.
"Hmm. Now that I think about it, I did have one. A dream about a woman."
At those words, Han Gyeowool's eyes wavered widely once.
She immediately started digging for details.
"W-when? Who appeared in it?"
"Hmm. I had it yesterday, but honestly I don't remember well."
"No feeling-type memories either?"
"Haha. It was a pretty embarrassing dream. Super dirty, actually. And the woman was just my type. But why are you asking about this?"
"......"
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head firmly.
"It's nothing special. I've just been interested in fortune-telling and dream interpretation lately."
"Ah, is that so? Then maybe I should try to dig up the memory."
I furrowed my brow over and over as if concentrating hard.
Then, as if something had come to me, I told her.
"Ah, right. The woman in the dream. She was someone I know."
"...Someone you know?"
"Yes. Definitely someone I know."
"...You don't remember the face well?"
"No. Only a vague silhouette comes to mind."
"...And the content of the dream? Anything you remember?"
"Hmm. The memory's all fuzzy. I feel like I did something, but..."
When I suddenly dragged things out at the important part, she urgently pressed me.
"Try to remember properly. What kind of dream was it?"
Desperate curiosity burned in both her eyes.
I'd tormented her enough by now; it was time to back off.
Sorry, but I had no intention of saying a single word about the dream.
"Augh. I just can't remember. Sorry. I brought up something pointless."
Han Gyeowool's fist trembled faintly.
But getting angry over mere dream talk would be ridiculous, so she soon let out a long breath.
"Hoo. If anything comes back to you, make sure you tell me. I really can't stand being curious about something."
"Yes. If I remember, I'll definitely contact you. Don't worry."
I went back to humming under my breath and continued the meal.
Han Gyeowool, on the other hand, stared at me with a thoroughly unsettled face, clearly displeased.
Her head was probably going to be a complete mess for a while.
This was my own little revenge.
A thoroughly satisfying smile curved my lips on its own.