Chapter 13………………………………………………
Chohui took the clothes the shop assistant handed her and nearly gasped in shock. The fabric felt so light it seemed to fall like feathers—something she had never touched even once in her life.
There’s fabric this beautiful in the world? If I wear something like this carelessly, I could get in serious trouble…
Even as she admired it, Chohui tried the clothes on with the utmost care, afraid of soiling them.
Holding her arms out to minimize friction, she stepped out from behind the dressing screen. The shop assistant hurried over to her side.
Good heavens, madam, you look absolutely beautiful! This is the first time I’ve seen a Joseon woman who suits Western clothes so well. Don’t you agree, sir?
Embarrassed by the assistant’s fuss, Chohui averted her gaze.
She looked toward Dowoon, who lifted his eyes from his watch, and asked,
“How is it?”
Unlike the assistant, Dowoon gave no reaction at all. His gaze slowly traveled upward from Chohui’s ankles. His expression didn’t change, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
As the silence stretched on, Chohui cleared her throat awkwardly.
But Dowoon still didn’t respond. His unwavering stare gave nothing away.
Unable to stand it any longer, she spoke again.
“Is it that strange?”
“No.”
“Then… is it okay?”
“…Mm.”
“Say something, at least.”
“Well… it’s not bad.”
Dowoon turned his head away awkwardly. Perhaps because of the heat, his earlobes were flushed red.
He snapped his fingers to call the shop assistant, who rushed over as if she’d been waiting.
This size should be fine.
Yes, it suits you very well.
Then give me everything over there in the same size.
Dowoon pointed to the clothes hanging on the rack. The assistant’s businesslike smile widened even further.
Ah, you mean all of them?
All of them.
Yes, understood. We’ll prepare them right away and send them to your residence.
Chohui’s eyes widened as she listened to their exchange.
“All of them? Not just one outfit?”
At her words, Dowoon replied as if it were ridiculous.
“Do you think I came all this way to buy just one set?”
Understanding what he meant, Chohui’s mouth fell open.
“Even if I changed clothes every day, it would take over a month to wear everything on that rack!”
“Then change twice a day.”
“No, that’s not what I meant—there are just too many.”
She tried to stop him in frustration, but Dowoon ignored her and handed a check to the assistant.
Have them delivered to Gwanganga.
Yes, sir. We’ll send them right away.
As soon as the grinning assistant took the check, the other staff nearby immediately began preparing the clothes.
“No, I really don’t need that many—”
“I’ll decide what’s necessary. You can’t wear the same dress twice in front of businessmen’s wives.”
At his firm words, Chohui had no choice but to fall silent.
After all, none of this was really for her—it was all for playing the role of “the wife.”
Her cheeks flushed as she felt ashamed for having briefly mistaken it as something done for her own sake.
“I see… I didn’t think it through.”
She murmured it almost to herself. Dowoon didn’t reply.
When they returned home, the two of them headed back to the study.
As Dowoon had warned her the day before, it was time to seriously prepare for the wives’ gatherings.
“We’ll start with your life in London—the place you supposedly lived. You’ve never been to Europe, of course.”
“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard stories. I talked about all sorts of things with my teachers in Gyeongseong.”
Chohui answered confidently.
“Then you’ll catch on quickly. The wives will be curious about your life in London—what you wore, what you ate, where you went. But more than everyday details, what’s important is a basic understanding of society.”
“By basic understanding, you mean culture, history, social customs… things like that?”
“Exactly. The problem is, we don’t have time to study everything.”
“Then what do we do? If we do it halfheartedly, won’t it be obvious?”
“That’s why we need a bit of knowledge—and a bit of imagination.”
Unlike the flustered Chohui, Dowoon looked completely at ease. He pointed to a stack of books. At a glance, there were more than a dozen.
Chohui scanned them quickly. Books on politics, economics, and culture caught her eye.
Just looking at the titles made her dizzy, and a sigh slipped out.
“This doesn’t look like ‘a bit’ of knowledge.”
“Don’t worry. You don’t have to read all of them—just memorize what I tell you. Shall we start with recent events?”
Dowoon picked up the top book: How Britain Won the War.
“…All right. Let’s get started.”
Sighing, Chohui took the book he handed her.
Dowoon calmly explained the recent events in Britain and Europe. Though it could have been dull, Chohui was completely absorbed, hearing it all for the first time.
“…Large-scale protests continued in London. If anyone asks, it would be best to say you left Britain to avoid the demonstrations. The timing fits.”
Something seemed to catch in her mind, and Chohui tilted her head.
“But why did the protests start in the first place? It’s not like jobs suddenly disappeared.”
“Because the war ended.”
“The war?”
“When the war ended and the men who’d been soldiers returned, others were already in their positions. You could say it was a struggle to reclaim their jobs.”
“There was a war in Britain?”
“The Great War. Japan participated as well.”
“My goodness… that war happened in Europe too?”
Chohui asked, eyes wide.
From what she’d overheard, Japan had been involved in a war until last year. She’d assumed it was only against China—she hadn’t realized it was connected to Europe as well.
“You didn’t know?”
“Not at all…”
The newspapers were filled only with praise for the Japanese army, never with details. Ordinary people like Chohui had no way of knowing why the war started or how it ended.
If Britain was involved, it must have been an enormous war.
Ashamed of her ignorance, Chohui lowered her head without realizing it.
She’d always taken pride in being educated, working at a school—but now she felt small and insignificant.
“I really didn’t know.”
“That’s all right. They’re events in a distant country. More people don’t know than do.”
“But you knew. You even know what’s happening in Britain right now.”
“That’s because it’s closely tied to my business. I deal in information. Besides, the wives won’t know much about the war either. Don’t worry—you don’t need to dwell on it deeply.”
Dowoon answered calmly, but Chohui still felt foolish.
The world had been changing so quickly, and she’d known nothing about it.
“I was really an ignorant fool.”
The words burst out before she meant to say them. Dowoon stopped speaking and looked at her. Perhaps caught off guard by her sudden remark, his eyes wavered slightly.
He parted his lips, then closed them, as if choosing his words. After a brief pause, he spoke again.
“International affairs and politics are things you can learn by reading a book or two. Lacking knowledge doesn’t make you foolish.”
“Do you think I’m foolish, Mr. Dowoon?”
“Someone who’s truly foolish doesn’t even know what they don’t know.”
“……”
“You clearly understand what you lack and what you need to learn. In that sense, you might be the smartest person I know.”
“…!”
Chohui’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
Smart?
She’d never heard that before.
When Joseon people heard a woman studied, they usually clicked their tongues. Women didn’t need to know such things, they said. Even her older brother avoided discussing politics with her.
She knew it wasn’t necessary knowledge for daily life. She knew knowing more wouldn’t necessarily bring anything good.
Her brother said international affairs and such were nothing but headaches.
Still, she’d been curious. How did the world work? Why were some people wealthy and others poor?
What kind of place was America, where her teachers had come from? How vast was the Pacific Ocean they crossed?
She’d wanted to know everything—but everyone told her she didn’t need to. That felt deeply unfair. She had the right to know, the right to learn…
Yet this man before her was saying something she’d never heard before.
The man she’d thought shameless was, for the first time, acknowledging her.
It left Chohui utterly confused.
Hadn’t he looked down on her?
Then why…
“Let’s move on to the next topic.”
At Dowoon’s calm voice, shifting seamlessly to the next subject, Chohui pretended nothing was wrong and focused again.
The lessons with Dowoon continued for several days. He taught her about British and European politics, history, and culture, and once she memorized them, they discussed how to use that knowledge in conversation.
Slowly but steadily, the image of “Lucia” was taking shape.
Having found enjoyment in studying, Chohui sometimes stayed up late in her room reading before going to bed.
But since the guest room lacked a proper desk, she always ended up reading in an uncomfortable position and falling asleep that way.
“Ugh, my neck hurts.”
She groaned, stretching her neck from side to side.
Dowoon, who had been sitting on the sofa across from her, lifted his head.
“Does your neck hurt?”
“I think it’s from reading late last night.”
“Don’t tell me you read lying on the bed?”
“What choice did I have? There’s no desk in the room.”
“I see.”
Dowoon blinked slowly at her words.
“I forgot. That your room has nothing in it.”
“It’d be nice if there were even a spare desk… but I suppose there isn’t one?”
“There is. A desk.”
Dowoon sprang up from the sofa. Before Chohui could ask anything, he strode across the study with his long legs.
Still bewildered, she hurried after him up to the second floor.
Dowoon walked past the guest room to a room at the end of the hallway. He took a key from his pocket, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
Soon, he came out carrying a desk and a chair.
They were large enough to be heavy, yet there was no sign of strain on his face.
“Use these for now. I’ll have proper furniture brought in later.”
Without waiting for her reply, Dowoon carried them straight into her room.
