Ch.174August Bride (5)

When the strap on my back snapped, I had a terrifying moment of panic.

Fortunately, Do Hamin quickly covered the not-suitable-for-all-ages areas with his bag, and carried me straight into the wedding shop before it could turn into a major incident.

Of course, everyone at the intersection still witnessed him princess-carrying a woman in a wedding dress as he frantically rushed into the wedding shop.

Well, the important thing is that I didn’t expose my nipples, right?

“Ugh…”

“Kid, you’re not the one who flashed your nipples, so why are you the embarrassed one?”

After changing out of the dress and back into my regular clothes,

I patted Do Hamin’s shoulder as he sat beside me.

Naturally, being the closest person to me,

Do Hamin couldn’t help but see Ban Do-young’s private areas.

“Do-young, are you okay…? Having your private parts seen by someone else.”

“I’m hurt. Are we really strangers?”

“W-well, at least we’re not supposed to be showing those parts to each other.”

“I’m actually surprised that I’m only seeing your nipples now.”

Knowingly or unknowingly, Do Hamin had often encountered Ban Do-young’s maternal side.

There were times when he suddenly hugged her and his face got buried in her chest, and though he doesn’t remember it, she once pressed down on him claiming to perform CPR.

When she showed him photos of her bathing, the important parts were covered,

so today was actually the first time Do Hamin had seen Ban Do-young’s private areas.

“Ah, come to think of it, I’ve touched them before but never actually seen them with my own eyes. Wow, I got scooped! They’re pretty impressive!”

“I’m not trying to compete over something like this…”

“Then if I asked to see yours because I want to, would you just show me?”

“N-no way…!”

“Heheh, then let’s just say it couldn’t be helped. We both know you didn’t see them on purpose.”

Let’s just consider this practice too.

By the time I get to carry Ban Do-young in a real wedding dress,

I’ll probably have seen those parts so many times I’ll be sick of them.

“Um… excuse me… Is the dress that Do-young student wore okay?”

“Hmm…”

“Hmm… Yes. It’s fine. Just the strap that secured the waist broke, but nothing was torn or damaged.”

Fortunately, the dress wasn’t significantly damaged.

However, only the shop owner, the creator of the dress, could properly assess it,

so the staff had to contact the owner to deal with the accident I caused.

“This can be repaired quickly in the store, so don’t worry. It’s minor enough that we don’t need to charge for repairs, so please relax.”

“I’m so sorry. I was just too excited when I saw this guy’s face in the mirror at the intersection.”

I had done something terribly embarrassing to both the owner and the staff.

At this rate, I can’t possibly ask them to keep their promise about waiving the dress reservation fee.

“I’m truly sorry for the trouble our student caused!”

“I’d like to apologize as well. I’m so sorry.”

Teacher Miso, still wearing her dress, also bowed her head in apology.

Strictly speaking, I was the only one who needed to apologize, but both Teacher Miso and Do Hamin, who happened to be passing by, willingly bowed their heads alongside me.

They have no hesitation bowing their heads with me in situations like this.

It would be nice if he could be just as nonchalant about seeing my nipples.

“I’m… I’m sorry, ma’am. For making you come to the shop on your precious day off.”

“No, it’s fine. You were both trying your best to uphold our shop’s motto when this happened, right? I should have come in earlier this morning. I would have loved to see a bride in our dress sprinting down the street. It’s just like those scenes from movies and dramas of our generation.”

“Oh, should I run down this hallway then?”

“Please don’t.”

Whether it was her concept or habit,

this middle-aged lady wore glasses and had a 4B pencil stuck in her hair instead of a hairpin.

This was Ms. Jung Sil-yong, the owner of the wedding shop and the designer of the dress I had been wearing.

My first impression was that she seemed like a strict dormitory supervisor or an eccentric designer with strong opinions, but contrary to that, she was surprisingly generous.

“Still, it’s fortunate I arrived before the dress was damaged. Otherwise, I might have become the villain demanding our energetic high school model friend pay for a 20-million-won dress.”

“Eek! So the dress Do-young was wearing costs 20 million won…? Oh my goodness…”

“Wow, that’s half of Teacher Miso’s annual salary.”

“When did you find out about my salary?!”

I almost caused a serious financial burden for Teacher Miso while trying to save on dress costs.

“Don’t worry. As I said earlier, the damage isn’t severe enough to require repair costs. And even if the dress had been badly damaged, I could never charge such money to the family of Joonsook, who made our shop the most famous wedding shop in the area.”

“Ah, as expected of the wedding shop my mom recommended. I’m impressed by your generosity… huh?”

I flinched momentarily at the familiar name that came from the owner’s mouth.

It’s true that I came to this wedding shop on my mother’s recommendation, but I had never mentioned that to the staff or the owner who just arrived.

“Did you just say ‘Joonsook’? When did we ever tell you or your staff that we came here through someone’s introduction?”

“Huh? You mean you weren’t told anything? By your mother?”

The owner pointed to a large bridal photo displayed at the front of the store.

It was where the photos of brides in dresses were gathered, the first thing you see when entering the shop.

“…No way.”

To resolve my sudden doubt, I went back to check the large framed photos of brides near the entrance of the shop.

And there, printed larger than all the other photos,

I made eye contact with the bride in what could be considered the shop’s pride—

A bride wearing the exact same dress I had just been wearing.

“…Ah, it’s Mom.”

“Y-your mother…?”

Why did I only realize it now?

Her face and body weren’t that different from now.

Of course, the chances of seeing someone you know in sample photos at wedding shops or photo studios are quite slim.

The original owner of the dress that made Ban Do-young feel loose in the chest area was none other than Ban Do-young’s mother, Chuk Joonsook.

Now that I knew the first wearer of the dress was my mother, I understood her previous comments.

Why she had recommended this wedding shop so strongly yet seemed uncomfortable about showing her face here.

With her bridal face printed on a huge frame hanging at the shop’s entrance,

and a mannequin modeled after her figure prominently displayed in the glass case at the center of the shop, of course she’d feel awkward.

“Our wedding shop started becoming famous after creating Joonsook’s dress. Though we’re doing well now, 25 years ago both I and the shop were inexperienced. If Joonsook hadn’t come to our shop then, we probably wouldn’t have survived in this area for so long. So to remember that gratitude, I’ve kept mementos of those memories throughout the shop. Traces of the most beautiful bride who ever visited our store.”

“Wow…”

“Actually, I’ve asked Joonsook to model dresses for us several more times since then. But she firmly refused every time.”

“Why? Did you offer too little pay?”

“D-Do-young student…!”

“Hahaha, how could I offer small change to Joonsook? Regardless of the amount, she said she only wanted to wear a wedding dress once. Because of that, our wedding shop, unable to find a model better than Joonsook, has been displaying the same photos of her for 25 years.”

The owner sat across from me and Do Hamin with a slightly regretful smile.

“But to think that after 25 years, the person to wear this dress again would be Joonsook’s daughter. What an amazing coincidence. Ban Do-young, right? You’re a beauty just like your mother.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Hahaha, such unfailing honesty. I love it. From what I heard from our staff earlier, and seeing how you’re the spitting image of Joonsook, plus that bold personality. I’d like to make you a proposal, if that’s okay?”

“…A proposal?”

The owner took out a business card from her wallet and handed it to me.

“Would you be interested in modeling wedding dresses for our shop?”

“…Modeling?”

“Yes, looking at you, I keep getting inspiration for new dresses. If you’re interested, we could arrange it as a part-time job during school breaks or weekends. Please contact me later if you’re interested.”

It wasn’t a bad offer.

It was a job that could showcase Ban Do-young’s strengths,

and I didn’t have any special plans for the school break.

“Hmm… I’m sorry. Thank you, but I’ll have to decline.”

However, after briefly looking at my mother in the photo as the bride,

and then at Do Hamin beside me,

I politely declined the owner’s offer while putting the business card in my wallet.

“…May I ask why?”

“Is it okay if it’s the same reason as my mom’s?”

I looked alternately at my mother in the bridal photo

and at Do Hamin beside me as I spoke.

“I think it’s better to wear a wedding dress just once if possible. That way, it will remain unforgettable in the most precious moment.”

“…Indeed. The same reason as your mother.”

In that sense, I wonder if today’s encounter shouldn’t count.

Well, I guess it’s fine.

When the final outcome comes and someone walks down the real wedding aisle, it won’t be me,

but the real Ban Do-young.

“That’s a shame. To be rejected twice for the same reason by a mother and daughter who inspire me so strongly… I was hoping to add a new photo to our shop entrance after all this time.”

“Hehe… Well. Don’t people want to show their most beautiful moments only to their most precious person?”

“That’s right. Preserving memories with someone precious is far more important than a modeling part-time job that pays 50,000 won per hour.”

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Wait, what did she just say?