Thank You for Tearing the Dress
“The family heirloom wedding dress just got torn.”
“Ugh, damn it…”
Just as a string of curses was about to escape his lips, Minwoo flinched and closed his mouth. His eyes met Yulri’s. He couldn’t lose his temper in front of her. Instead, he sharply shoved Jeho’s hand off Yulri’s waist, glaring as if to say, Don’t lay a hand on my woman.
“I’ll go change clothes.”
Minwoo picked up his phone and stepped out. Yulri entered the fitting room wearing Jeho’s jacket. In the confined space, the citrus scent from the jacket was even stronger than outside—almost enough to make her feel like she was in Jeho’s arms.
Crazy… what am I imagining right now?
Yulri laughed in disbelief and quickly removed the torn dress.
“What’s all this noise?”
Mrs. Na, having received Minwoo’s call, hung up and rushed over.
“Nancy Song, how did you manage this?”
Her face red with anger, Mrs. Na shouted.
“I’m sorry, Madam Na.”
“Do you think just saying ‘sorry’ will fix everything?”
“I really, truly am sorry, Madam Na.”
Though she hadn’t done anything wrong, Nancy Song kept bowing repeatedly. Mrs. Na, trying to calm herself, now gave Yulri a piercing look.
“Yulri, do you even know what kind of dress this is?”
Yulri remained silent, head bowed.
“How dare you treat our family like this? This dress… I clearly told—”
At that moment, the fitting room door clicked open. Mrs. Na, turning toward the sound without thinking, was startled to see Jeho stepping out in his formal wear.
“Jeho, what are you doing here?”
“It’s been a while, Auntie.”
A subtle smile played on Jeho’s lips as he faced her. Mrs. Na, who had no idea he would be here, shot Minwoo a scolding look. But really, it wasn’t Minwoo’s fault—she had rushed over before hearing the full story about the dress.
Jeho’s presence softened her stern expression. Even if Minwoo ignored it, Jeho wouldn’t.
“How long have you been back in Korea? And only now do I see you?”
“Apologies, Auntie.”
He said the words, but his expression hardly conveyed guilt. Though Mrs. Na was annoyed by his attitude, now was not the time to argue. She forced a smile toward Minwoo and Yulri.
“Well, it’s already torn. What can we do? Will you have it sewn? Fine. You two handle it yourselves.”
With that, Mrs. Na cast a glance at Jeho before leaving the dress room. Minwoo gestured to Yulri to follow and quickly trailed after her. Once they left, the previously noisy room fell silent.
“I’m sorry for the commotion.”
Yulri apologized on behalf of Mrs. Na, even though nothing was her fault, while Nancy Song and the staff silently exhaled in relief.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Nancy Song waved it off, though the uneasy feeling remained. Being yelled at by a future mother-in-law who could wield power like that was intimidating. Even if it was just a façade, Mrs. Na always remained careful, aware of appearances. If it’s like this before marriage, what will it be like after?
Yulri forced a bitter smile and glanced at the elegant wedding dresses hanging on the rack. The troublesome old dress was gone, and now all that remained was choosing one she liked—but the heavy atmosphere alone was exhausting.
“I’ll pick the main dress another time. Let’s stop for today.”
“Sure, as you like.”
Nancy Song nodded in understanding and, with the staff, wheeled the portable rack away.
“Hmm…”
Jeho, who had been silently observing, pushed off the wall he had been leaning on.
“I haven’t finished fitting yet…”
Only then did Yulri realize that because of Mrs. Na’s commotion, Jeho hadn’t properly finished trying on his suit. Flustered, she walked toward the bell installed on the wall.
“I’m sorry, I’ll call again.”
“No.”
Just as Yulri pressed the button, Jeho gently held her wrist. She looked at him, puzzled, and he shook his head lightly.
“I’ll stop for today too. The effect of the painkillers is starting to wear off…”
Now she noticed Jeho looked paler than before. He had been enduring the pain with just painkillers?
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“Well, manageable,” Jeho replied with a small smile, loosening his bow tie with his uninjured hand. Seeing him struggle with one hand, Yulri reached out to help untie it.
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Why?”
Though she understood the meaning, he pretended not to. Yulri’s gaze stayed on him as she untied the knot. Even though he was frowning from the pain, a trace of a smile lingered in his eyes. It was clear he hadn’t accidentally torn the lace—he had done it on purpose.
“Thank you for tearing the dress.”
In truth, she had wanted to tear it herself… and he had read her mind and done it for her.
“Ha, you’re the first woman to thank me for tearing clothes… If you ever need it again, just say so. I’ll tear it neatly.”
“The first woman to thank you for tearing clothes…?”
“Why? Curious how many dresses I’ve torn before?”
His playful joke made Yulri’s face flush. She hadn’t meant it that way, but he took it differently. Flustered and speechless, she watched him smirk and head to change in the fitting room.
Yulri, already changed, sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Even in a short time, many things ran through her mind.
If that old arranged marriage had gone through, what would have happened? Would he have been a good husband? Even if I knew about my father and stepmother’s affair, would I have been less shocked? Would he have comforted me on sad days? Been a strong support?
Imagining a future she never had, Yulri shook her head with a bitter smile. One can’t only imagine the best possibilities. Maybe they would have been awkward, even worse than others.
After a short while, Jeho, changed, emerged from the fitting room. Yulri stood and approached him.
“Did you bring your car? It must be hard to drive in that state…”
“I took a taxi.”
“Then I’ll drive. I’ll take you there.”
Minwoo had left his own car at the office and drove Yulri’s car to the wedding studio. Mrs. Na had already left, so there was no need to escort her.
As Jeho was about to respond, his phone rang. Seeing the caller, he excused himself briefly and answered.
“Yes, what is it? …Jasmine? Why?”
Hearing the name Jasmine from Jeho, Yulri furrowed her brow. Though she didn’t want to eavesdrop, her attention kept drifting toward it. She held her breath, waiting for his next words.
“Okay. I’ll do that.”
After ending the call, Jeho turned to Yulri.
“Sorry, but before going home, can we stop by somewhere? It’s nearby.”
“Sure.”
The place Jeho needed to visit was a pet-only store a block away.
“He’s been meowing nonstop because he ran out of his favorite treats.”
Yulri remembered Jeho had a cat at home. At the store, he browsed the snacks and called again to confirm.
“Yes, Woogyeong. What does Jasmine like? Churu?”
Wait! The cat’s name is Jasmine?
Yulri’s expression subtly shifted as she listened.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?”
A store clerk approached to help, and Jeho switched to speaker so that the clerk could hear as well.
[Do you have the Churu from NyangNyang-i?]
A familiar female voice came through. Yulri realized it was the same woman who had opened the door earlier in the afternoon. So her name wasn’t Jasmine—it was Woogyeong, a friend living with Jeho.
While the clerk fetched the product, Woogyeong kept talking:
[By the way, Jeho oppa, my brother said he’ll be late, so don’t wait. I’ll just feed Jasmine dinner and go home.]
Yulri quickly pieced it together. The “Jasmine” Jeho had called in his sleep was his cat, not a girlfriend. The woman who opened the door was his friend’s younger sister. She had just stopped by his house. All along, Yulri had misunderstood everything on her own.
Blushing from the embarrassment, she turned away, covering her face.
Surprisingly, her heavy mood began to lift, though she didn’t know why.
That day, Minwoo returned home and faced a full-blown argument with his mother. Having raised her son, she scolded him, claiming he had gone crazy over a woman and even given his liver away.
Yet, as he endured the barrage of complaints, he felt as if he could fly.
Today, Yulri had smiled at him kindly. Not only that, she had helped him tie his tie, praised him in his formal suit, and patted his shoulder. What more could he want?
As the wedding day approached, it was clear Yulri was slowly accepting him as a man. Though she didn’t show it outwardly, her heart surely raced just like his.
The next day, Minwoo remembered Yulri’s gentle touch when tying his tie. Her slender fingers brushing his neck sent shivers through him. And how beautiful she looked in the wedding dress! Her image lingered before his eyes, making it impossible to focus on work. Assuming Yulri felt the same, he called her.
“Yulri, let’s have dinner together tonight.”
Breaking his expectation of agreement, she declined.
[Not tonight. I have a company dinner.]
“Company dinner? Do you have to go?”
[It’s the monthly regular dinner, so I can’t skip alone.]
“Then I’ll come too. I’ll call the senior and ask.”
Minwoo and Director Kim were university seniors and juniors. They had a close bond even before Yulri worked at Bauhaus, so attending the dinner together was fine.
[Okay, then. Ask your senior.]
“Alright, see you later.”
He hung up smiling, then received a text from Assistant Shin:
<When should we meet today?>
If it had been yesterday, he would have told her to come straight to the office… but today he frowned and typed back:
<Can’t. I have prior plans.>
Yesterday had been close enough. Today he intended to wait with a solemn heart and body. Love is love, desire is desire, but today was an exception.
With the troublesome ragged dress gone, perhaps Yulri’s heart would be more open today than yesterday. Minwoo smiled brightly and pressed the intercom to call his secretary.
Oh, right! Does Minwoo know that Jeho is a partner at Bauhaus? If not, he might be surprised.
After hanging up, Yulri turned to Jeho to ask, but noticed his chair was empty. Only then did she realize Jeho was out on business. She tried to call him, but she didn’t even know his number. She decided to call Minwoo instead. Suddenly, an urgent design revision came up. As she handled it, the workday ended before she knew it.
As if on a single-plank bridge where enemies meet, returning from his outing, Jeho and the just-arrived Minwoo ran into each other in front of Bauhaus.
“What are you doing here?”
“And you? What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
Jeho’s lips curled into a subtle smile as he looked at Minwoo.
“I’m co-CEO of Bauhaus.”
