Going Out
Having placed their order, Jung Na-yeon came back and sat across from Hyun-soo. Looking at him in the black collar tee, settled into a food-court chair, she could hardly believe this was the same man who had once struck her as nothing more than a shabby unemployed freeloader.
"Clothes really do make a difference."
"They clean up pretty well, right?"
"They do. You look so much better when you put yourself together like this."
Na-yeon curved her lips into a smile and gave the shopping bag a light nudge.
"Next we should do something about your hair. I'll look up a salon."
She finished speaking, checked their number ticket, and smiled quietly to herself. She liked that the day was still only half over.
"Should we? While we're out, we could grab sneakers too..."
Two bowls of jjajangmyeon and a plate of sweet-and-sour pork arrived on the table, and Hyun-soo mixed his noodles with his chopsticks with obvious relish.
"Slurp!"
He lifted a thick strand of noodles and carried it to his mouth.
"This jjajangmyeon's pretty good."
It was more than fine by Hyun-soo's standards.
"It is. Not bad at all."
Na-yeon agreed — for a chain restaurant, the flavor held up, and the sweet-and-sour pork had a nice chew to it.
"Once we finish this, let's go get you sneakers. The soles on the ones you're wearing are completely worn through."
"That's why I said we should grab sneakers after we eat."
Na-yeon pulled out her phone, brought up the mall directory, and checked the store locations, her finger skimming quickly across the screen.
"There's a Nike and a New Balance right next to each other. Let's look at both."
Hyun-soo, halfway through his jjajangmyeon, wiped his mouth and nodded.
"If we see something decent, we can just get it. Something comfortable with good stretch."
Then he went back to eating, and in no time the large portion had vanished.
"You ate a ton this morning too. Where does it all go?"
"I could still eat more."
"Finish the sweet-and-sour pork."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
It might have sounded like nagging, but the look in her eyes as she watched him eat so well was warm.
Her husband always left more than half his food whenever they ate out — complaining it was bland, too salty, too greasy. This man, though, said everything tasted good. And his appetite was enormous.
"Once we get the sneakers, I'll book the salon too."
Na-yeon murmured it almost to herself, studying Hyun-soo's hair. Her hand nearly rose to brush his bangs aside, but she caught herself — too many people around — and let it drop.
"A proper cut would change everything," she muttered, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
She had never expected dressing Hyun-soo up to be this much fun. It felt like laying her own colors onto a fresh canvas.
"Yeah, it's definitely time for a haircut."
Hyun-soo could feel it too — his hair had grown out a lot. Being unemployed and pinching every won, he hadn't exactly been a regular at the salon.
They finished eating and stood. The empty bowls and tray went back to the return counter.
"I'll call the salon on our way out. I need to ask my usual stylist if there's an opening today."
She opened KakaoTalk on her phone as they walked toward the escalator. Her steps were light. Riding down toward the third floor, Na-yeon sent the message and switched off the screen.
"If there's a four o'clock, we'll go straight there. It's ten minutes by car from here."
"Got it."
On the third floor, the sports stores came into view. Nike caught her eye first, and Na-yeon headed there without hesitation.
She walked in beside Hyun-soo, scanning the sneakers lined along the wall, her eyes moving quickly. She picked up a pair of Air Forces, flipped them over to check the soles, and shook her head.
"These are way too common."
She lifted the black-and-gray Air Maxes beside them and turned toward Hyun-soo.
"What about these? They go with everything we just bought."
Hyun-soo took the sneakers she held out, looked them over, and nodded.
"These are nice. I like the design too."
"Two-seventy?"
"My size?"
"Yeah."
"That's right."
When a staff member approached, Na-yeon asked for a 270. While the employee disappeared into the stockroom, she kept browsing.
"See anything else you like?"
"These look like the best ones to me."
"If something catches your eye, just say so. It's fine."
"I'll buy these with my own money."
"No. While we're at it, I'm getting them for you."
Na-yeon stepped in without the slightest hesitation, insisting she would cover it.
"I feel kind of bad, though."
"What's there to feel bad about? When someone offers, you just say thank you and take the gift."
Hyun-soo smiled. He knew she was doing this because she understood his situation.
She acts prickly, but she really does think about me a lot.
And that, too, was what made Hyun-soo so endearing.
"It'd be nice to have a pair of running shoes too, but since you say these are fine, we'll just get these today. If we start getting greedy, there's no end to it."
Even as she said it, she would clearly have bought them if he'd asked. Hyun-soo knew that, but nothing else had particularly caught his eye, so he didn't push.
When the employee returned with the box, Na-yeon opened it, took out the sneakers, removed the paper stuffing, and set them neatly in front of Hyun-soo's feet. The look she gave him from below was soft.
"Try them on."
While Hyun-soo slipped into the shoes, Na-yeon's gaze traveled from his ankles up along his calves, checking the fit of the cotton pants as well.
A KakaoTalk notification chimed on her phone. She checked the screen and smiled.
"Salon’s booked for four. If we buy these and head straight over, the timing’s perfect."
"Nice."
Being able to go right away without waiting put Hyun-soo in a good mood too.
"We'll take these."
Na-yeon looked down at the tips of his feet and narrowed her eyes slightly. The black-and-gray Air Maxes flowed cleanly into the hems of the cotton pants.
"Enough room in the toe? They shouldn't be tight."
"They're comfortable."
She nodded, stood, and took in his full silhouette.
"Good. These are the ones."
A glance at the employee sent the box toward the register. Na-yeon stood beside Hyun-soo with her arms folded and flicked a look at the price tag.
A hundred and fifty-nine thousand won. Clothes from earlier plus the sneakers — well over five hundred thousand.
"Here."
Once again, Na-yeon paid with her phone.
"Thank you."
The payment went through, and the employee handed over the shopping bag.
"We still haven't gotten socks and underwear."
"There was a store on the second floor."
"Let's grab them quick and get out of here. We need to be at the salon before four."
"Got it."
Her tone was brisk, but her pace was unhurried — as if this time walking the mall together was anything but a waste.
On the escalator, Na-yeon looked down at the back of Hyun-soo's head one step below. Thick hair, uneven lengths. She wanted to smooth it with her hand, but she held back.
"I'll ask the stylist for a natural dandy cut, not a two-block. With your forehead line, it's better to show it off."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You didn't know?"
"I just kind of wing it..."
"Honestly..."
At Hyun-soo's shameless little smile, Na-yeon shook her head as if he were hopeless. But a moment later the corner of her mouth lifted. In her mind, the finished version of him was already taking shape. No matter what he wore, the hair was what sealed it.
Tonight, when they got home, that was the man who would be sitting in front of her. Just thinking about it made her steps even lighter.
In the underground parking garage, Na-yeon's Grandeur pulled out smoothly.
"We'll be there in ten minutes."
"I'm really living large today, huh?"
"If you know that, behave yourself from now on."
"Heh heh..."
Afternoon sunlight cut slantwise through the car window and lit the side of Hyun-soo's face. Na-yeon's fingers tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel, keeping time with the ballad spilling from the speakers. It was a habit that only came out when she was in a good mood.
At the salon, Na-yeon parked, got out first, and opened the door. The interior was sleek and stylish. The moment they stepped inside, the owner recognized her and greeted her warmly.
The male stylist, early forties, looked at Hyun-soo standing behind Na-yeon and smiled.
"So this is the cousin you mentioned?"
Apparently she had explained over the phone. Na-yeon nodded naturally and steered Hyun-soo into the chair with a hand at his back.
"A dandy cut, please. Show off the forehead, and keep the sides natural."
Standing beside the stylist, she pointed at Hyun-soo's face in the mirror and gave precise instructions. The stylist lifted Hyun-soo's hair between his fingers, checking the thickness and texture.
"You've got a lot of hair. I'll do some texturizing for you."
Na-yeon nodded, satisfied, and settled onto the waiting sofa.
"Don't be nervous. I'll style you up nicely."
"Okay."
Hyun-soo found himself looking forward to it — to seeing his shaggy head transformed.
I only came out to buy clothes.
Through the mirror he watched Na-yeon on the waiting sofa. She had designed him from head to toe. With her own money. He hadn't spent a single won, and yet these hours had made it perfectly clear how she felt about him.
No woman spent like that on a man she didn't care for. Especially not a married woman with a husband.
This feels good.