AAE -- Twists of Fate

Part 1 -- Chapter 14

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

Sun-Mi stands still on the fitting room dais, gazing in the mirrors at Joo-Hee's vision for her future.

 

"How does it feel?" she grumbles, smiling over her clenched teeth. "It's... different."

 

"Jin Sun-Mi!" Joo-Hee's voice cuts in. "If you have something to say, just say it."

 

"You want to know how I really feel? Humiliated, that's how!" Sun-Mi seethes, dropping her forced smile. "Being treated like a mannequin on display in a store window!" She glares at Joo-Hee. "My legs are too short! My belly too chubby! My skin unpresentable! ... What's next? Do I need to go under the knife?"

 

Joo-Hee raises an eyebrow. "Are you done?"

 

"Yes." Sun-Mi's shoulders sag as she lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Senior. It's embarrassing how I don't measure up."

 

"The point isn't to embarrass you, but to prepare you for a higher level of scrutiny. It's essential that you're properly dressed."

 

"But three complete outfits? It's too much!"

 

"As my Junior, it reflects on me." Joo-Hee cracks a thin smile. "Besides, it's not that much. I get a thirty percent discount as a preferred customer."

 

Sun-Mi steps down from the dais, her movements cautious, mindful of the forward shift in balance. On the carpet, in the 115mm heels, she is almost the same height as Joo-Hee.

 

Joo-Hee moves to stand beside Sun-Mi, their reflections aligned.

 

Sun-Mi meets her eyes in the mirror. "It's like I'm looking at someone else wearing my face. It's not me."

 

"That's the point," Joo-Hee assures her. "It's the image you'll wear every day for the role you now fill. It's not just how you appear on the News."

 

She turns and reaches to adjust Sun-Mi's lapels. "When you walk in tomorrow morning it can't look like it's just another day in the office. You need to command respect from the first second you step into the lobby and take the corner desk."

 

Sun-Mi chews her lower lip. "I don't want to look like I'm pretending."

 

"It's not pretending. It's your job." Joo-Hee punctuates her words with a forefinger pointed at Sun-Mi's face. "When everything is uncertain, people look to someone for clarity. For certainty."

 

She rests her hands lightly on Sun-Mi's shoulders. "That person is now you -- and even when your own world is falling apart, you still need to convey that assurance."

 

Sun-Mi inhales a deep breath. "I never thought of it that way, Senior."

 

"Neither did I when I was in your position," Joo-Hee admits. "I wanted it for the spotlights. To be someone. But I learned it's not about the anchor. It's about the audience -- keeping their trust." She smiles. "But I think you already understand that. It's why I chose you."

 

 

Sun-Mi lowers her eyes. "I'm not sure I can live up to that trust."

 

"You can. You must."

 

"I wish I had your confidence."

 

Joo-Hee places her hand on Sun-Mi's shoulder. "When we finish today, you will."

 

"Senior, it feels like I'm being completely rebuilt."

 

"You're not," Joo-Hee says. "You're being refined. You already have the fundamentals. This is the final polish. We're almost there."

 

"So there's more?"

 

"Yes." Joo-Hee reaches to push back a lock of Sun-Mi's straight bob that has fallen across her eye. "Your hair drops forward, hiding your eyes. An anchor needs a style that holds its shape through everything -- a helmet, not a veil."

 

Sun-Mi looks at Joo-Hee's sculpted perm. "Like yours? It hardly moves at all."

 

"Precisely," Joo-Hee affirms. "So we're going to my salon next. They'll show you the options."

 

"You already booked the appointment?" Sun-Mi asks, tensing slightly.

 

"I scheduled you for a facial and makeup analysis, too," Joo-Hee says. "Your foundation -- the pink tone is too youthful. And your eyes? Well..." She shakes her head. "They'll help you select the right palette, for a proper face."

 

Hand on her hip, Sun-Mi tightens her jaw. "Is there ANYTHING about me that doesn't need changing?"

 

Joo-Hee looks back at her coolly. "Not after today. When we're finished, there won't be a single crack in the new Jin Sun-Mi."

 

"And there won't be any me, either," Sun-Mi protests. "I'm not sure I can be this 'new' person."

 

Joo-Hee gives a faint, knowing smile. "You don't have to be her. You just have to look like her. Once you embrace the image, wearing it becomes second nature."

 

Sun-Mi shifts her stance, lifting a pointed toe to put her weight on the heel. "All of this… it's happening so fast."

 

"That's how promotions work," Joo-Hee replies. "You don't ease into them. You rise to them." The words are firm, but not harsh.

 

Sun-Mi takes a breath to center herself. Studying her reflection, she straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin. The woman in the mirror appears polished, authoritative. Impeccable.

 

She imagines walking into the newsroom, every step precisely measured, all eyes trained on her. A small shiver runs through her -- not from fear, but awe. She is on the cusp of fulfilling a lifelong dream, with only one day remaining.

 

She can do this.

 

She has to.