I’d Rather Live as a Villain

I’d Rather Live as a Villain – Episode 46

(I like that image of you)

“What do you call it? The thing women can wear on the left side of their chest when they wear suits, like a badge?”

“A brooch?”

“Ah, a brooch. Yes, that’s right, could you show me some?”

It was the day before the shareholders’ meeting.

I took a brief lunch break to buy a gift for Moon-Jung.

Rather than her taste, I pondered over a brand that would fit the image people would expect of her at tomorrow’s shareholders’ meeting.

Moon-Jung Kang, a woman born with an innate glamour that didn’t need to be adorned with flashy jewels.

Preferably, instead of jewels touching the skin, a simple yet significant accessory like a brooch seemed more helpful for her image at tomorrow’s meeting.

And that… I wanted to prepare it for her.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes?”

At the waist-high glass showcase.

I was examining the brooches displayed by model when…

The store clerk approached me hesitantly.

“Is it you?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

I thought she was offering help to find a particular design, but it wasn’t the case.

“Kang Moon-Jung, the executive of Daeyoung. You’re her husband, aren’t you?”

“Ah. Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ever since you walked in, we’ve been debating whether it was you or not.”

“Really? Could you help me then? I’m looking at gifts for someone, but I’m not sure which one would suit them.”

I liked this part.

No need to laboriously explain what the recipient looks like or the kind of aura they have.

“But why come here instead of Daeyoung Department Store?”

A service worker’s joke, not too over the top, was thrown in.

“It’s not exactly a surprise, but it’s a gift I want to give spontaneously. You know, like ‘I thought this would suit you, so I picked it up on my way here.’ That kind of gift?”

“Aha! A bit of a tsundere vibe, right?”

“That seems to be the right concept. But if I bought it at Daeyoung Department Store, the story of buying the gift might reach their ears before the gift itself.”

***

I bought sushi on my way home from work.

The living room was a mess with her clothes strewn all over.

Several dark navy suits were scattered over the sofa.

High-heeled shoes that matched the suits were boxed up on the floor.

“You’re late today. What’s that?”

“I brought some sushi. From your favorite place.”

“Sushi?”

“People usually lose their appetite before important events. Sushi is the only thing you eat then.”

“Did you get late buying that?”

I was indeed late because of the sushi, but it seems she left work early to turn the house upside down.

It would be quite a task for the housekeeper to tidy up all these clothes tomorrow.

“I guess a heavier style would be appropriate for tomorrow?”

She stood in front of the full-length mirror, holding up a dark navy skirt dress, and said.

“Maybe you need a style that showcases your best attributes rather than a heavy feel?”

“My best attributes?”

“It’s about presenting who you are, isn’t it? Tomorrow’s shareholders’ meeting. Youthful, chic, powerful. For tomorrow’s meeting, a sleek pantsuit might suit you better than a heavy dress.”

As if questioning why I was so actively involved in choosing an outfit, she puckered her lips.

“Personally, I think you look most dashing in a pantsuit.”

“Really?”

“It looks effortless. It clearly defines who Kang Moon-jung is, don’t you think?”

“Is my image that strong?”

“I like that image of you.”

“…”

“Rather than the image of being gentle and delicate, as if I need to protect you. Listen to me and try changing into a pantsuit. I’ll quickly go up and change my clothes and come down too.”

A navy slim double-breasted jacket that perfectly accentuates the waistline.

And the wide-legged pants that are part of the set with the jacket.

Judging by the fact that the hem of the pants isn’t dragging on the floor, she seems to be wearing high heels inside the house.

“How is it? Does it look okay?”

How could it not be okay?

Sometimes, I feel like it’s a lie that I’m living in the same space with such a person.

It seemed like a misunderstanding, the way I was lost in thought, looking at her as if I was dreaming.

“Why? Don’t you like this one? Should I try on something else?”

“No, it’s really nice.”

“Are you just saying it’s okay because you don’t want to bother checking multiple times and want to finish this quickly?”

“That’s not it.”

“No, your response just now lacked sincerity. Wait here, I’ll change into something black and come out.”

Why can’t you trust what I say?

What’s lacking in sincerity?

Just as I had hoped when I chose this brooch, she stood before me, exactly as I had imagined.

“Wait, just a moment.”

“Why?”

I stopped her as she was about to go into the room to change into another suit.

Then I stood her in front of a full-length mirror and said from behind her.

“Do you remember the Serena special exhibition at the Gangnam store this spring?”

“The Serena special exhibition? Of course, I remember.”

“Do you remember the hairstyle you had that day?”

“That day? How did I go that day?”

“You had a side parting and an updo at the back.”

“Oh, I remember. Wow… you remember all that?”

“It’s a confession I’m making now, but you were really splendid that day. You shone brighter than the models who decorated the place, so much so that it’s etched in my memory. How about trying that hairstyle again tomorrow?”

Moonjung and I were gazing at each other through the full-length mirror.

She tilted her head, pondering whether her current outfit matched the hairstyle she was wearing, as I presented her with a box containing a brooch.

“What’s this?”

“That day, you attended the event without any other accessories, just a brooch pinned on the left side of your chest. You were dressed just like now, in this style. It was splendid.”

Through her that day, with her hair elegantly swept up revealing her ears and neckline, I discovered for the first time how the wispy hairs trailing down a woman’s neck could look so luxurious.

Though not perfect, recalling that day, Moonjung swept her hands behind her neck, lifting her hair up.

While she roughly fashioned the hairstyle I recommended, I affixed the prepared brooch to the left side of her jacket.

“But is it appropriate to say ‘splendid’ to a woman?”

Moonjung asked with a slightly uneasy expression.

So, I lightly retorted as if it was a trivial matter.

“Isn’t a splendid appearance more fitting than a pretty or beautiful one for tomorrow?”

“Is this the feeling you had when you thought I looked splendid?”

“For now, I really like how you look, but what about you?”

“Why has this man been acting like this lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you been attending some kind of class?”

“What class?”

Suddenly, she turned towards me, casting a suspicious glance.

“Your lines have become quite smooth lately, haven’t they? Were you always this good with words around women, or have you been practicing? Why are you like this today, making my heart flutter? Preparing a surprise gift out of the blue…”

“Is this something you can practice?”

“Were you always this good? How did you manage to hold back all this time while being by my side, not using this talent on other women?”

“Who says I haven’t used it properly?”

“Does that mean you’ve been using it secretly?”

“Why would I need to do it secretly? I might not know about after marriage, but until then, I was free, no matter what anyone said.”

“Are you joking? Don’t I know you? In the past five years, there’s no history of me seeing you with another woman.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. To my mother, I’m a son, a husband, and sometimes even a boyfriend.”

“…”

“Do you know how difficult it is to fulfill those three roles simultaneously? I’m the person who has perfectly managed that difficult task all this time without a single mistake.”

At that, Moonjung suddenly looked at me seriously, then burst into a bright smile.

“Wow… who would have imagined that I’d be receiving styling coaching from you?”

“Is it not good?”

“You said it looked nice, didn’t you? Not just nice, but really nice?”

“Totally.”

“Then that settles it. Okay, deal! No more worries. What kind of sushi did you get?”

“I got the ones that are easy to feed you. Go change into something comfortable and come out. I’ll get everything ready.”

***

On the day of the shareholders’ meeting.

Daeyoung Convention Center.

The center hall unfolded like an airport departure lounge.

Two tables surrounded by black cloth.

There, after receiving a simple shareholders’ meeting guide, I followed a makeshift corridor created by isolation belts, which led to several reception counters partitioned with acrylic panels like bank teller windows.

After thorough identity verification as a proxy, I entered the shareholders’ meeting hall.

The chairs were arranged with such precision that they reminded me of a neat checkerboard, filling the vast hall without a single discrepancy.

Near the entrance of the hall, not too far away, an enormous camera suitable for online broadcasting, like those seen in TV stations, was installed.

“You can go inside.”

A man who seemed to be a staff member for the meeting guided me to the front row near the stage area.

There, leaving a middle seat empty, my father-in-law, her aunt, and Kang Soon-im, the vice-chairman of Yuseong Cosmo, were already seated.

“Have you arrived?”

“You’re early, aren’t you?”

Even as I greeted my father-in-law, my gaze kept turning towards my great-aunt.

“It’s more comfortable to arrive early and sit down at such events. If you come late, even the way in here feels like a thousand miles. You have to acknowledge everyone you see. According to Manager Jang, you arrived earlier, why are you coming in now?”

“I was having coffee in the waiting room with Moonjeong.”

Before sitting down, I quickly greeted my great-aunt.

“It’s been a while, auntie.”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, and you too, auntie?”

I took my seat between them, and my aunt spoke first.

“You seem to have lost a lot of weight since I last saw you?”

“Is that so…?”

She had come wearing her glasses with the ever-present red hue in the lenses today.

Auntie’s impression seemed stronger due to her flamboyant makeup.

“Yoon, you know what ‘sparkle’ means, right?”

Sparkle?

I heard it as ‘sparkle.’

But as I listened carefully to what she was saying, it seemed like she wasn’t talking about ‘sparkling,’ but just a ‘spark.’

“Doing it just once means nothing. There are countless people who just spark once and then disappear.”

“…Yes.”

“You shouldn’t just be someone who sparks; you should be someone who sparkles.”

I couldn’t grasp what she was trying to say.

“To be that kind of person, the first and second most important things are self-management.”

“…Yes.”

“Self-management isn’t something someone else can do for you. Sure, work is important, and it’s important for you, Yoon, to produce good results and gain recognition, but…”

At that moment, I caught Auntie sneaking a glance at my father-in-law.

But I pretended not to notice and nodded, continuing to listen.

“You have to look at the long term. Otherwise, you’ll get tired halfway and won’t be able to pick up the real pace when it’s necessary.”

“Yes.”

“Make time for exercise, eat well, things that are good for your body. That’s how you handle the truly important tasks.”

“…”

“Does father think a lot about you, Yoon?”

That question was directed not at me, but at my father-in-law.

“Instead of sending Manager Son as a proxy, he sent you, Yoon.”

To that, my father-in-law looked at Auntie with his usual expressionless face and opened his mouth.

“There are family members who can attend on behalf, it’s only natural.”

“No, that’s not it. When it was Youngjin’s turn, he didn’t send Yeonhee but Manager Son.”

“Youngjin was promoted to vice president before his wedding.”

“Was he? Now that you mention it, that’s right.”

Was I being paranoid?

Or had I become so accustomed to double-checking even the smallest details that I was filled with unnecessary doubts?

Strangely, even this ordinary conversation between the two felt like a subtle battle of nerves.

But the truly strange event happened shortly after.

“Pretty, isn’t she?”

From noble mtl dot come

That was my aunt asking.

While glancing at the screen that briefly captured her niece’s image.

An announcement came on, signaling that the general meeting would soon begin.

Simultaneously, a calibration video appeared on the massive screen that almost entirely covered the front of the meeting hall.

Cameras for the online broadcast were installed not only at the back of the hall but also on either side of the gigantic screen.

Camera one, camera two… The screen displayed a camera test, and soon, it showed Kang Moon-jung, her figure captured on the screen.

My aunt, watching her image on the screen, asked me that question with a smile on her lips.

And through the gap in her glasses, I could see an undeniable affection for her niece in her eyes.

To me, it looked like love.

“…Yes.”

“She was always smiling as a child, like an angel without equal. It’s nice to see that face from her childhood days reemerging lately.”

“…”

“I always thought of her as just a kid, but when did she grow up so much? Now she carries a certain gravitas. Yun’s husband has to treat her well.”

My father-in-law had been listening to the conversation between my aunt and me the whole time.

“In that suffocating house, without having to argue or calculate, without needing to mind anyone’s gaze, there’s only one person who can unconditionally stand by Moon-jung’s side. That’s Yun’s husband.”

Just at that moment, the chairman began presiding over the meeting.

And shortly after, Kang Moon-jung, with confident strides, was ascending the stage.

This was the person I had just come out of the green room with about 15 or 20 minutes ago, sitting face to face, exchanging light jokes to ease the tension, sharing a coffee together.

But at this moment, she had transformed back into the unyielding and confident Executive Kang Moon-jung I had always admired before her marriage.

Wearing the brooch I gifted her, the hairstyle and outfit I recommended.

Indeed, she was a remarkable person who could perfectly embody confidence and poise, no matter what clothes or hairstyle she wore.